Global Commercial Drone Market By Weight, By System (Hardware (Airframe, Propulsion System, Payload, and Others) and Software), By Technology (Fully Autonomous, Semi-autonomous, and Remote Operated), By Application(Filming and Photography, Horticulture and Agriculture and Others), By Region and Companies - Industry Segment Outlook, Market Assessment, Competition Scenario, Trends, and Forecast 2023-2032

Report Overview

The global commercial drone market is anticipated to surge to USD 81.3 billion by 2032. It is estimated to record a steady CAGR of 25.5% in the review period 2023 to 2032. It is likely to total USD 8.87 billion in 2022.

Drones, often referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are aircraft that are operated remotely by individuals on the ground or autonomously guided by onboard computer systems. Various sectors are making significant investments in commercial drone technology and are actively exploring its wide range of applications. This growing interest is anticipated to have a positive impact on the business landscape.

Commercial drones are unmanned aerial aircrafts designed specifically for commercial applications like risk mitigation, resource planning, excavation & research & excavation planning & excavation planning urban planning engineering farming management tourism aerial imaging LiDAR applications cargo management weather monitoring traffic control green mapping among others. Commercial drones can serve many sectors including agriculture & environment media entertainment energy government among others as business solutions.

Market expansion can be attributed to an expanding enterprise usage of drones across various industry verticals. Drone manufacturers continue testing, inventing, and upgrading solutions tailored to various markets while the incorporation of modern technologies into commercial drones provides new growth opportunities in this rapidly-evolved sector. Furthermore, business use cases for drones have vastly increased over the years.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) have become one of the main drivers behind market expansion. A UAV is an aircraft without an attendant pilot on board that can either be remotely controlled or autonomously flown using preprogrammed flight plans; providing 24/7 security as well as inspecting utility guidelines with high precision at cost-effectiveness. Recent advancements include their adoption by military forces, consumer goods firms, transport, agriculture industries as well as new generation drones such as Solo with safety features including compliance technology sensors self monitoring which create opportunities in new market expansion opportunities bringing new opportunities into market growth opportunities that were previously not present before.

Technological advances in electronics continue to fuel commercial drone market expansion, including modern computing, microcontrollers, processors, mobile hardware and cameras. For instance, AeroVironment Inc. introduced their next-generation VAPOR Helicopter Vapor 55MX which caters to customers from defense, commercial and industrial sectors in September 2022.

By Weight Analysis

On the basis of weight, the market can be divided into 2Kg, 2Kg-25Kg and 25Kg-150Kg segments. Of these weight segments, those under 2kg held the largest market share due to an increasing adoption of small drones for applications including filming, photography, mapping, surveying and inspection.

Due to the expanding development of Electric-Vertical Takeoff Landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft, this segment is forecasted to experience rapid compound annual growth during its forecast period.

Drones between 25 Kg to 150 Kg will likely see further technological innovations to accelerate growth over the forecast period.

By Technology Analysis

On the basis of technology, this market can be subdivided into fully autonomous, semiautonomous and remote operated. Fully autonomous segment is expected to experience greater expansion during the forecast period.

As demand for drones that can operate BVLOS increases, fully autonomous drones should become an even larger part of the market.

Remote operated drones are expected to garner the greatest market share during this forecast period due to their relatively lower costs and ease of use, which have contributed significantly to their increased adoption across a wide array of commercial applications.

By System Analysis

Hardware devices and systems include propulsion system, payload, airframe and others. Hardware was the largest market segment in 2022 due to increasing adoption of drones for various commercial uses such as pipeline inspection, aerial photography surveillance and wildlife monitoring; its growth over the forecast period should only accelerate further. Software is projected to experience rapid expansion over the forecast period.

By Application Analysis

Based on application, the market can be divided into filming & photography, mapping & surveying, horticulture & agriculture, inspection & maintenance, delivery & logistics services, surveillance monitoring services and others. Filming & photography was estimated to account for most market shares by 2022.

Report Segmentation

By Weight Analysis

• <2Kg
• 2Kg–25Kg
• 25Kg-150Kg

By Technology Analysis

• Fully autonomous
• Semi-autonomous
• Remote operated

By System Analysis

• Propulsion System
• Payload
• Airframe and others

By Application Analysis

• Filming and photography
• Mapping and surveying
• Horticulture and agriculture
• Inspection and maintenance
• Delivery and logistics
• Surveillance & monitoring
• Others.

Regional Analysis

Key Regions and Countries Covered in this Report:

• North America
  • The US
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • France
  • The UK
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Russia
  • Netherlands
  • Rest of Europe
• APAC
  • China
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • India
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • Thailand
  • Singapore
  • Vietnam
  • Rest of APAC
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Rest of Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
  • South Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • Rest of MEA

Key Players Analysis

The following are some of the major players in the industry

• Aeronavics Ltd. (New Zealand)
• AeroVironment Inc. (U.S.)
• Autel Robotics (China)
• Ehang Holdings Limited (China)
• FLIR Systems, Inc. (U.S.)
• Teal Drones (U.S.)
• Holy Stone (China)
• Intel Corporation (U.S.)
• AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (U.S.)
• Parrot Group (France)
• PrecisionHawk, Inc. (U.S.)
• Skydio, Inc. (U.S.)
• SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (China)
• Yuneec Holding Ltd (China)

The global commercial drone market is anticipated to surge to USD 81.3 billion by 2032. It is estimated to record a steady CAGR of 25.5% in the review period 2023 to 2032. It is likely to total USD 8.87 billion in 2022.

Report Scope