Group 1 UAS

The smallest DoD-published UAS weight class — hand-launched or hobbyist-scale multirotor and fixed-wing aircraft weighing 20 lb or less, normally flown below 1,200 ft above ground level at under 100 knots. This is also the weight band most consumer/commercial small UAS (sUAS) sold in the United States fall into.

Key facts

Field	Value
FAA/DoD Group	1
Max weight	20 lb
Normal altitude	<1,200 ft AGL
Max speed	<100 kt
Typical control link	2.4/5.8 GHz ISM, some 900 MHz
Remote ID applicable	Yes, unless operated under an FAA exception (e.g. FRIA)

Why it matters operationally

This is the weight class most implicated in public DHS/CISA “suspicious UAS activity” guidance for critical-infrastructure sites and public gatherings, precisely because of its low cost and wide commercial availability.

Public examples

• Systems whose published weight falls within the 0–20 lb Group 1 band — e.g. the U.S. Army’s RQ-11B Raven hand-launched UAS (approx. 4.2 lb per its public U.S. Air Force fact sheet)
• Consumer/hobbyist multirotor UAS in the same publicly marketed weight class

Sources

• Defense Primer: Categories of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems — Congressional Research Service (Library of Congress, congress.gov)
• Chapter 11 — Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Aeronautical Information Manual — Federal Aviation Administration
• RQ-11B Raven fact sheet — U.S. Air Force