Abstract This review article examines the evolution of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the regulatory and infrastructural challenges faced by developing countries, with Kazakhstan serving as a representative case study. Quantitative analysis highlights critical barriers, including a national shortage of more than 1,200 IoT software specialists and the absence of ISO/IEC 17025-accredited metrological certification facilities. Drawing on international benchmarks, the study proposes structured and economically viable measures for governmental and industrial stakeholders. A central contribution of this work is the development and pilot implementation of a UAV-oriented metrology verification and calibration architecture grounded in systems-engineering principles. The framework formalizes certification workflow control, integrates uncertainty propagation modeling, and embeds risk-informed decision mechanisms within accredited laboratory environments. Validation across 38 UAV platforms demonstrated statistically significant improvements, including a 37.4% reduction in average certification processing time and a 38.3% decrease in staff-hour requirements, while preserving cross-laboratory reproducibility within expanded uncertainty limits. As a concrete outcome, a metrology management improvement framework is proposed to enhance reliability and traceability in UAV certification processes. Collectively, these measures enhance technical defensibility, certification efficiency, and interoperability with international aviation standards, supporting scalable and reliable UAV deployment in emerging regulatory environments.
Mussatayev et al. (Thu,) studied this question.