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Strategic Intelligence: Drones

Publisher GlobalData
Published Jul 22, 2025
Length 62 Pages
SKU # GBDT20290065

Description

Strategic Intelligence: Drones

Summary

Uncrewed aerial vehicles-also known as UAVs or, more commonly, drones—have been around for decades, but with innovations and rising investments, their popularity has grown significantly in recent years.

Key Highlights
  • According to GlobalData forecasts, the global drones market will reach $89.8 billion by 2030, up from $32.2 billion in 2024. Revenue from commercial drones will surpass military sales in 2025, driven by favorable regulations and an increase in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.
  • Businesses' use of drones, specifically in the construction and agriculture industries, will continue to increase over the next five years. Drones are already proving beneficial for surveying, inspection, and crop spraying. Logistics is another sector that will also grow in the coming years as more companies use drones for last-mile and middle-mile delivery.
  • However, growth will depend on cohesive and favorable regulation globally. Drone deliveries, for instance, will continue to be limited not just by payload and battery life but also by patchwork regulation.
Scope
  • This report provides an overview of the drones theme.
  • It identifies the key trends impacting growth of the theme over the next 12 to 24 months, split into three categories: technology trends, macroeconomic trends, and regulatory trends.
  • It includes global market forecasts for the drones industry across three categories: consumer, commercial, and military.
  • It contains a timeline highlighting milestones in the development of drones.
  • The detailed value chain consists of four layers: hardware, software, services, and end-user.
Reasons to Buy
  • The speed of the transition of drones from war zones to retail stores has been phenomenal, especially given the negative associations and misconceptions surrounding them.
  • The ability to collate sensor-generated data with powerful analytical tools presents a wide range of potential commercial and industrial applications, from optimizing work processes to reducing expenditure on tedious manual tasks. At the consumer level, drones are becoming capable of self-navigation and obstacle detection, and drone racing is gaining prominence worldwide.
  • This report provides an invaluable guide to this disruptive theme. It includes comprehensive lists of the leading players across all aspects of the value chain, helping companies identify the right partners.

Table of Contents

62 Pages
Executive Summary
Players
Technology Briefing
Anatomy of a drone
Airframe
Propulsion system
Flight control system
Sensors
Payload
Trends
Technology trends
Macroeconomic trends
Regulatory trends
Industry Analysis
Market size and growth forecasts
The commercial drones segment is growing the fastest
The construction and agriculture sectors will lead the commercial drones market
Drone delivery market
Military drone market
Use cases
Red Bull’s need for speed answered by drone technology
India’s drone market takes off in the agricultural sector
JOUAV drones help in reservoir construction mapping in China
Aramco is a long-time user of drones for inspections and maintenance
The NHS uses drone delivery to offer faster and greener healthcare
Drones play a key role in the Russo-Ukrainian war
Timeline
Value Chain
Hardware
Airframes
Components
Software
Control
Mapping
Data analytics
Security
Services
Drones as a service
Connectivity
Drone insurance services
End-user
Consumer drones
Commercial drones
Military drones
Companies
Sector Scorecards
Consumer electronics sector scorecard
Who’s who
Thematic screen
Valuation screen
Risk screen
Defense sector scorecard
Who’s who
Thematic screen
Valuation screen
Risk screen
Glossary
Further Reading
GlobalData reports
Our Thematic Research Methodology
About GlobalData
Contact Us
List of Tables
Table 1: Technology trends
Table 2: Macroeconomic trends
Table 3: Regulatory trends
Table 4: Companies
Table 5: Glossary
Table 6: GlobalData reports
List of Figures
Figure 1: Who are the leading players in the drones theme, and where do they sit in the value chain?
Figure 2: Anatomy of a conventional drone & Anatomy of a quadcopter drone
Figure 3: By 2030, drone revenue will have reached $89.8 billion
Figure 4: The Red Bull Drone 1 keeps pace with the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 F1 car
Figure 5: Kisan drones are used for crop assessment, digitizing land records, and spraying insecticides
Figure 6: 3D map of the reservoir created with the help of drones equipped with LiDAR technology
Figure 7: Aramco uses drones to monitor its facilities, reducing maintenance costs and inspection times
Figure 8: An electric VTOL drone flies over London carrying medical equipment
Figure 9: A Ukrainian soldier in Bakhmut pilots a modified hobby drone, DJI’s Mavic 3
Figure 10: The drone story
Figure 11: The drones value chain
Figure 12: Drones value chain - Airframes: leaders and challengers
Figure 13: Drones value chain - Components: leaders and challengers
Figure 14: Drones value chain - Semiconductors: leaders and challengers
Figure 15: Drones value chain - Software: leaders and challengers
Figure 16: Drones value chain - Services: leaders and challengers
Figure 17: Drones value chain - Consumer drones: leaders and challengers
Figure 18: Drones value chain - Commercial drones: leaders and challengers
Figure 19: Drones value chain - Military drones: leaders and challengers
Figure 20: Who does what in the consumer electronics space?
Figure 21: Thematic screen - Consumer electronics sector scorecard
Figure 22: Valuation screen - Consumer electronics sector scorecard
Figure 23: Risk screen - Consumer electronics sector scorecard
Figure 24: Who does what in the defense space?
Figure 25: Thematic screen - Defense sector scorecard
Figure 26: Valuation screen - Defense sector scorecard
Figure 27: Risk screen - Defense sector scorecard
Figure 28: Our five-step approach for generating a sector scorecard

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