STANAG 4670 minimum training for UAS and RPA operators and pilots

What it is

An agreement to implement, not a technical specification

STANAG 4670 is the NATO standardization agreement covering minimum training requirements for unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operators and pilots. Like every STANAG, the agreement itself sets out no training content. "Participating nations agree to implement the following standard": ATP-3.3.8.1, Edition C. That publication is where the actual, testable training requirements live; this record covers the agreement, not that publication's content.

The aim, stated on the cover, is to "establish minimum training requirements for UAS operators and pilots that are or may become engaged in NATO operations", so that operator and pilot proficiency is standardised across nations working together.

Ratification and implementation are separate steps

A nation signs up to STANAG 4670 in two stages. First it ratifies the agreement, recorded in the NATO Standardization Documents Database (NSDD): "Nations are invited to examine their ratification of the STANAG and, if they have not already done so, advise the NSO of their intention regarding its ratification and implementation." Second, once implemented, it reports the details of that implementation through NATO's electronic reporting tool. The agreement sets no NATO Effective Date of its own; it is effective upon receipt for use by the participating nations and NATO bodies, and it reaches an operator or a supplier once a national programme or a contract actually applies ATP-3.3.8.1, not at the moment NATO promulgates the agreement.

Nations are asked to "prioritize the requirements as described in ATP-3.3.8.1 Edition C Chapters 3 and 4", and, as applicable, to reference this agreement in their own national standards as a minimum requirement. Where able, it is also to be evaluated during NATO exercises that use UAS or RPAs.

Edition and review

This is Edition 6, dated 23 September 2025, and it supersedes STANAG 4670 Edition 5 of 8 May 2019. Review of the agreement follows the procedure set out in AAP-03, with the result recorded in the NSDD.

What it does not cover

The agreement names no other related document, and it sets out no certification scheme: it creates a nation-to-nation reporting cycle through ratification and implementation records, not a scheme an organisation is assessed against. The training content itself, including the detail of what Chapters 3 and 4 of ATP-3.3.8.1 require, sits in that publication rather than in this agreement.