The specific category covers medium-risk operations that do not fit within the open-category limits — for example flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), higher than 120 m, or operating a heavy drone in an urban environment. Such flights are not forbidden as such, but they can no longer be flown without approval.
Before the operation, the operator must obtain an operational authorisation from the national aviation authority, based on a SORA risk assessment. There is also a simpler route: if the operation matches a Standard Scenario (STS), a declaration is enough instead of a full authorisation.