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

  • January 27, 2016
    Printed and flexible electronics in vehicles: major opportunity by 2026
    A new report from IDTechEx Research, Printed and Flexible Electronics in Automotive Applications 2016-2026, indicates that the market for printed and flexible electronics in vehicles is expected to grow to over US$5.5 billion dollars in the next decade, spearheaded by the projected growth of in-mould electronics and OLED technologies. Printed and flexible electronics are beginning to proliferate, with a variety of components and devices coming to market. Several end-user verticals are expected to benefit
  • August 19, 2015
    Progress with RFID in China
    In its new report, RFID in China 2015-2025, IDTechEx Research has identified over 150 Chinese companies supplying RFID and tracked how the industry in China will grow to become a US$4.3 billion opportunity in 2025. Historically, the development of RFID in China has been heavily supported by the Chinese government. These include large projects such as national identification cards, passports and subway ticket applications. The entry barrier is usually high for those applications, as the suppliers need to
  • June 25, 2020
    Honeywell forms dedicated drone unit
    Products to be developed include a fly-by-wire autopilot system
  • April 13, 2017
    Mild hybrid 48V vehicles 2017-2027
    Vehicle emissions regulations for 2025 and 2030 are unlikely to be met by conventional vehicle technology as applied to most vehicles beyond small cars, according to IDTechX researchers. Going to strong hybrid and pure electric powertrains involves considerable expense and delay and often totally new platforms. However, an intermediate technology has reached a stage where it can incrementally improve traditional powertrains by replacing the alternator with a reversible 48 V electric machine and adding a