What term refers to UAS operations without any monitoring or control of the UAV?

The term that refers to UAS operations without any monitoring or control of the UAV is "Human out of the loop." This concept describes a scenario in which a human operator does not intervene during the flight, meaning that the UAV operates autonomously, relying on pre-programmed instructions or onboard decision-making systems.

In UAS operations, being "human out of the loop" implies that the system is capable of completing missions or tasks independently without real-time human oversight. This is crucial as it affects the system's design, regulatory considerations, and the required reliability of autonomous functions, as any failure in the UAV’s systems could pose risks without human intervention.

The other terms relate to aspects of UAS operations but do not capture the essence of operating completely without human oversight. "Fully automated operation" suggests a high degree of automation, but it may still involve some form of monitoring. "Remote operation" indicates that a human is controlling the UAV from a distance, which is the opposite of being out of the loop. "Independent flight" could imply a level of autonomy but doesn’t specify the lack of monitoring or control explicitly, making it less descriptive of the situation where humans are entirely absent from influencing the flight in real-time.