Skip to main content

Report forecasts rapidly changing market for drones

A new IDTechEx report, Electric Drones: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs 2015-2025, examines the market for drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), saying that most of the market value today lies in military applications, both for electric and - the big money - non-electric versions. Nonetheless, small UAVs are increasing in sales fastest and that is primarily down to non-military applications. From 2026, civil uses will greatly exceed military in market value. The report forecasts it all but concentrates o
February 19, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
RSSA new 6582 IDTechEx report, Electric Drones: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles UAVs 2015-2025, examines the market for drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), saying that most of the market value today lies in military applications, both for electric and - the big money - non-electric versions. Nonetheless, small UAVs are increasing in sales fastest and that is primarily down to non-military applications. From 2026, civil uses will greatly exceed military in market value.

The report forecasts it all but concentrates on hybrid and pure electric versions because these are taking over.
 
Dr Harrop, chairman of IDTechEx says, "The biggest market sub-sector will be small UAVs that are not toys or personal, with US$2 billion in sales in 2025 generating over US$20 billion in benefits in agriculture, border protection, parcel delivery, logistics such as warehousing, coastguard, customs, search and rescue, medical emergency, malaria research, mine detection, protection of rare species, movie production and so on."
 
For example, Amazon recently reiterated that they are committed to delivering packages to customers via drones when they get the regulatory support needed. China's biggest internet retailer Alibaba trialled drone deliveries in the country at the beginning of February. 1691 Google has also been testing drone deliveries in Australia, and DHL carried out deliveries by unmanned aircraft in Germany.
 
According to the report, new applications appear every month and it particularly concentrates on what has happened in 2014-15 and what comes next in this changing market.  That includes technological change, with bodywork becoming electric and electronics to save cost, volume and weight while increasing reliability and life.
 
This 200 page report has over 120 figures and tables distilling the markets and technology into roadmaps and forecasts by number, unit value and market value 2015-2025. The rapidly changing powertrains, the uses, participants and benefits are discussed.
 
Adoption of cameras, cost reduction, types, alternatives, legal issues, latest news, new inventions from drones that walk or swim to ones proposed for garnering power - it is all here. Autonomy is addressed and the hype curve in the context of other relevant electric vehicles. Components and systems manufacturers will see the big picture with the full opportunity drone makers and users can benchmark.
 
Beyond the UAV powertrain, with its radically changing motors and so on, there are the telematics, sensor platforms and optics all changing rapidly to become far more functional and lighter in weight.
 
The report also explains laser powered drones and ones that are planned to do more than just regenerative soaring but even export electricity to earth. Of course, there can be no one size fits all for all this. Fixed wing, multi-copter and other configurations will all have a place.

Related Content

  • December 2, 2016
    Cars reinvented: huge new opportunities and dangers, says IDTechEx
    The new IDTechEx report, Electric Car Technology and Forecasts 2017-2027 finds that the biggest change in cars for one hundred years is now starting. It is driven by totally new requirements and capabilities. They will cause huge new businesses to appear but some giants currently making cars and their parts will spectacularly go bankrupt. Cities will ban private cars but encourage cars as autonomous taxis and rental vehicles. Already 65 per cent of cars in China are bought by businesses. The Japanese wa
  • January 13, 2017
    Electric boats and ships 2017-2027: Large market emerging, says IDTechEx
    Analysts at IDTechEx have issued a new report, Electric Boats and Ships 2017-2027 looking at this fragmented but often highly profitable and growing sector. It says there are already over 100 manufacturers of electric boats and ships. The report finds that the market for hybrid and pure electric boats and ships will rise rapidly to over US$20 billion worldwide in 2027 for non-military versions. The recreational boat market is the largest and fastest growing electric marine market in sales number, followe
  • July 15, 2015
    BorgWarner to acquire Remy International
    US automotive industry components and parts supplier BorgWarner is to acquire Remy International, a leading producer of rotating electrical components. With key technologies and operations in ten countries on five different continents, BorgWarner says Remy is strongly positioned to benefit from global growth. “We look forward to welcoming Remy’s talented employees to BorgWarner. Their products and capabilities will strengthen BorgWarner’s position in the rapidly developing powertrain electrification tre
  • July 22, 2016
    Industrial and commercial electric vehicles: biggest market biggest profit, says report
    The new IDTechEx report, Industrial and Commercial Electric Vehicles on Land 2016-2026, provides an understanding of the EV business, hybrid and pure electric, which IDTechEx says will be responsible for around 60 per cent of the huge market of about $500 billion emerging in 2026. Indeed, it is and will remain more profitable than the highly competitive car market that gets all the press attention. The report gives information not available elsewhere, for example, putting the business in the context of w