Reference & AI

DAFMAN 11-501

Air Force

SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia, active-duty U.S. Air Force

DAFMAN 11-501, "SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT", is a Department of the Air Force publication, dated January 10, 2025.

Published

January 10, 2025

OPR

AF/A3

Headquarters, Department of the Air Force

Official document

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DAFMAN 11-501 — index record

NumberDAFMAN 11-501
TitleSMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
PublishedJanuary 10, 2025
Certified currentJanuary 10, 2025
Office of primary responsibilityAF/A3
Issued byHeadquarters, Department of the Air Force
Status on the indexCurrent
Last index actionUpdateContact, February 17, 2026
Source indexAir Force e-Publishing
Index last readOctober 20, 2026

Copied from Air Force e-Publishing (index). The publication itself is the authority; this page does not summarize or interpret it. Verify the current edition on the index before acting.

From the publication itself

Text below is lifted mechanically from the official PDF (20 pages, read October 20, 2026) with no editing or interpretation. Quote the document, not this page.

Purpose, in the publication’s words

This publication implements Department of the Air Force Policy Directive (DAFPD) 10-9, Lead Command/Lead Agent Designation and Responsibilities for United States Air Force Weapon Systems; and Air Force Policy Directive (AFPD) 11-5, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. It provides guidance and procedures on sUAS operations throughout the Department of the Air Force (DAF). This publication applies to all DAF civilian employees, uniformed members of the Regular Air Force, the Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard (ANG), the United States Space Force (USSF), Civil Air Patrol (CAP), when the services of CAP are used by any department or agency in any branch of the Federal Government, employing or testing Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) Groups 1 and 2, and those with a contractual obligation to abide by the terms of DAF publications to include contractors who are also governed by Air Force Instruction (AFI) 10-220, Contractor’s Flight and Ground Operations, employing or testing Groups 1, 2, and 3 UAS.

Summary of changes, as printed

This is a new manual and must be completely reviewed. It contains common Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) management requirements and processes for Groups 1-3 sUAS that were previously contained in Air Force Manual (AFMAN) 11-502, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Contents

  1. Chapter 1—OVERVIEWp. 5
  2. Chapter 2—ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIESp. 7
  3. Chapter 3—MANAGEMENTp. 10
  4. Attachment 1—GLOSSARY OF REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATIONp. 26
  5. Attachment 2—DOD UAS CATEGORIESp. 34
  6. Attachment 3—FLIGHT CREW INFORMATION FILE (FCIF) TEMPLATEp. 35
  7. Attachment 4—DAF SUAS COA REQUEST CHECKLISTp. 37
  8. Attachment 6—SAMPLE RM WORKSHEET AND FLIGHT AUTHORIZATIONp. 52
  9. Attachment 7—SAMPLE AFSOC FORM 97p. 54
  10. Attachment 8—SAMPLE SUAS DOMESTIC OPERATIONAL USE REPORTp. 56
  11. Attachment 9—USE OF DOD UAS IN THE UNITED STATES AUTHORITIES MATRIXp. 57
  12. Attachment 10—CIVIL AIR PATROL (CAP) REQUIREMENTSp. 65
All 54 contents entries
  1. Chapter 1—OVERVIEWp. 5
  2. 1.1. Overviewp. 5
  3. 1.2. Key Definitionsp. 5
  4. 1.3. Waiver Authorityp. 5
  5. 1.4. Terminologyp. 6
  6. Chapter 2—ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIESp. 7
  7. 2.1. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations (AF/A3)p. 7
  8. 2.3. Lead Command(s)p. 7
  9. 2.4. MAJCOM. Note:p. 7
  10. 2.7. Squadron/unit sUAS Program Manager (sUAS PM) will:p. 9
  11. Chapter 3—MANAGEMENTp. 10
  12. 3.1. Generalp. 10
  13. 3.3. Scheduling Limitations/Alcohol Consumptionp. 10
  14. 3.4. Procurement/Acquisitionp. 10
  15. 3.5. DoD sUAS Cyber Exemption to Policy (ETP)p. 11
  16. 3.6. ATO (Authority to Operate) Processp. 12
  17. 3.7. Airworthinessp. 13
  18. 3.8. Spectrum Approvalp. 13
  19. 3.9. Unit Level Flight Approval Authorityp. 13
  20. 3.10. Airspace Coordination and Approvalp. 13
  21. 3.11. Domestic Use Guidancep. 14
  22. 3.12. Operating Proceduresp. 15
  23. 3.13. Defense Property Accountability System (DPAS)p. 15
  24. 3.14. Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Manager (SUASMAN)p. 15
  25. 3.15. Basic Unmanned Aircraft Systems Qualificationp. 16
  26. 3.16. Electronic Flight Bag (EFB)p. 17
  27. 3.18. Air Force Exchange Personnelp. 17
  28. 3.19. Air Force Air Advisorsp. 17
  29. 3.20. Inter-Fly Agreementsp. 17
  30. 3.21. Flight Crew Information File (FCIF)p. 17
  31. 3.22. Flight-Related Special Interest Item (SII)p. 18
  32. 3.23. Mishap Reportingp. 19
  33. 3.24. Communication with ATCp. 20
  34. 3.25. Aircraft Lightingp. 20
  35. 3.26. Geospatial Airborne Collectionp. 21
  36. 3.27. Weatherp. 21
  37. 3.28. See and Avoidp. 21
  38. 3.29. Safety/Risk Managementp. 22
  39. 3.30. Use of External/Internal Beacon or Tracking Devicesp. 22
  40. 3.31. Pre-Mission Planningp. 22
  41. 3.32. Briefingsp. 23
  42. 3.33. Autonomy/Artificial Intelligence (AI)p. 23
  43. 3.34. Tethered sUASp. 23
  44. 3.35. Indoor Only Use of sUASp. 24
  45. 3.36. Go/No-Go Proceduresp. 24
  46. Attachment 1—GLOSSARY OF REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATIONp. 26
  47. Attachment 2—DOD UAS CATEGORIESp. 34
  48. Attachment 3—FLIGHT CREW INFORMATION FILE (FCIF) TEMPLATEp. 35
  49. Attachment 4—DAF SUAS COA REQUEST CHECKLISTp. 37
  50. Attachment 6—SAMPLE RM WORKSHEET AND FLIGHT AUTHORIZATIONp. 52
  51. Attachment 7—SAMPLE AFSOC FORM 97p. 54
  52. Attachment 8—SAMPLE SUAS DOMESTIC OPERATIONAL USE REPORTp. 56
  53. Attachment 9—USE OF DOD UAS IN THE UNITED STATES AUTHORITIES MATRIXp. 57
  54. Attachment 10—CIVIL AIR PATROL (CAP) REQUIREMENTSp. 65

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Air Force index

REF: DAFMAN 11-501, effective January 10, 2025

Air Force e-Publishing — DAFMAN 11-501

This is an index record, not the publication. The official PDF is the authority; verify the current edition before acting.

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia · Military Toolkit editorial

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