SORA stands for Specific Operations Risk Assessment. It is the method most European drone operators use to show that a flight in the specific category is safe enough to authorise. It was developed by JARUS, the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems, and EASA has adopted it as an acceptable means of compliance with Article 11 of Regulation (EU) 2019/947.
Why SORA exists
Regulating drones by aircraft type does not work very well. A 5 kg multirotor over an empty field and the same aircraft over a city centre carry very different risks. SORA therefore looks at the operation: the aircraft, where it flies, who it could hit on the ground and what else is in the air.
It reasons about two harms: a person on the ground being struck, and a collision with a crewed aircraft. It then asks how much confidence an authority needs before accepting the operation.
Which version applies?
EASA brought the European version of SORA 2.5 into its guidance through ED Decision 2025/018/R, published in September 2025. Check with your authority about how it handles earlier SORA 2.0 applications, because transition arrangements have differed between countries.
The ten steps
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Document the proposed operation |
| 2 | Determine the intrinsic ground risk class (iGRC) |
| 3 | Apply ground risk mitigations to get the final GRC |
| 4 | Determine the initial air risk class (ARC) |
| 5 | Apply strategic air risk mitigations to get the residual ARC |
| 6 | Set the tactical mitigation performance requirements (TMPR) |
| 7 | Determine the SAIL |
| 8 | Determine containment requirements |
| 9 | Identify and meet the operational safety objectives (OSOs) |
| 10 | Assemble the comprehensive safety portfolio |
The middle of that list produces one key result: the SAIL, or Specific Assurance and Integrity Level. It runs from I to VI, and it determines how much you have to demonstrate, and how robustly. See SAIL levels explained, or work out an indication with our SAIL estimator.
What it produces
A completed SORA is more than a score. It is a safety portfolio: your concept of operations, your risk determination, the mitigations you claim, and the evidence behind them. An authority reads it as an argument, and each claim has to hold up.
Why it is hard for small operators
The method is logical, but it is long, technical and unforgiving about consistency. Your manual has to match your assessment. Your evidence has to match the robustness you claimed. Change your aircraft and several conclusions may shift at once.
That is why most small operators pay a consultant, and why Hespoire exists.
Do you need one?
Not always. If your flight fits the open category, or a standard scenario under a declaration, you do not need a full SORA. A predefined risk assessment may also cover your operation. Our comparison of STS, PDRA and SORA covers how to choose.