We tend to hear a lot about unmanned aerial vehicles aka UAVs aka drones because of their use in military, intelligence and defense missions.
However, recent projections show that the global market for electric drones is growing at a CAGR of 18.20 percent from 2013-2018, not because of increased demand from the defense sector, but because of a slew of commercial civilian applications.
Increased Interest in Commercial Applications
Drones range in size and can be controlled either autonomously by an onboard computer or by a remote control from the ground or another vehicle. This makes them perfect for a huge range of uses including police surveillance and environmental monitoring…even delivering packages (we’re looking at you, Amazon).
However, integration of drones into civilian airspace comes with its own set of problems, since having a bunch of relatively powerful airborne vehicles floating around doesn’t exactly comply with most airspace regulations. This means that existing rules and regulations need some serious revamping if civilian drone use is going to become the norm.
Europe is doing well in terms of integrating UAVs into airspace policy. National civil aviation authorities are working closely with their EU counterparts, with a view to opening civil airspace to drones by 2016. The UK has already given more than 130 private firms and government agencies permission to fly through civilian airspace, while France has granted limited approval for homeland security-related operations.
However, not all countries are embracing commercial UAVs with open arms, and different rules and regulations are stunting the proliferation of drones.
For instance, in Canada a special flight operations certificate is required to fly a drone. Once this is granted, the operation of the UAV will be subject to the rules set by Transport Canada.
In the US, a certificate of authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration is mandatory, and only federal, state, and local government agencies are currently granted the certificates (sorry, Amazon). To compound this, the range is also seriously limited, as drones must stay below 400 feet, and are restricted cannot enter Class B airspace, which includes the airspace over major urban areas and consists of a high density of manned aircraft in operation.
However, developments have been made in terms of regulations that might ease the use of small electric UAVs for commercial applications in civilian aerospace. This is a good thing, since it’s estimated that about 30,000 UAVs will be flying above the US by 2020.
Smaller Drones Will be the Way Forward for Electric UAVs
The development of smaller, electric UAVs is also expected to help the overall drones market grow over the next four years. At the moment, these electric UAVs are primarily used by the military and security markets for surveillance and tactical missions. UAVs are equipped with sensors, cameras and even hazardous chemical detectors, and deployed to navigate potentially unsafe areas before soldiers can enter.
In addition to the traditional big markets for UAVs such as the Americas and Europe, there has been increased interest in and a growing demand for small electric UAVs in other countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Ethiopia, and Uganda. These countries use the systems for border control, surveillance, and tactical operations, which is expected to contribute significantly to market growth over the coming years.
