Oil and Gas Drones Market Report 2026

The oil and gas drones market size has grown exponentially in recent years. It will grow from $12.61 billion in 2025 to $17 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.8%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to need for safer inspection methods, expansion of pipeline networks, growth in offshore assets, increasing maintenance costs, demand for operational efficiency.

The oil and gas drones market size is expected to see exponential growth in the next few years. It will grow to $56.34 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 34.9%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to automation of inspection activities, growth in digital oilfields, expansion of remote operations, stricter safety regulations, cost optimization initiatives. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing use of drones for pipeline inspection, rising adoption for remote facility monitoring, growth in drone based leak detection, expansion of aerial surveillance for asset security, rising demand for mapping and surveying operations.

The increase in government investment is expected to drive the growth of the oil and gas drones market going forward. Government investment refers to the allocation of public funds toward projects, initiatives, or sectors to achieve objectives such as economic development, infrastructure enhancement, technological innovation, and social welfare. In the oil and gas sector, government investment plays a vital role in accelerating the adoption of drone technologies by supporting innovation, encouraging industry collaboration, addressing regulatory challenges, and enabling the development of required infrastructure. For instance, in December 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics, a UK-based government agency, the central government’s net investment stood at £5.4 billion ($6.9 billion) in December 2023, which was £10.5 billion ($13.4 billion) higher than the negative £5.1 billion ($6.5 billion) recorded in December 2022. Therefore, the increase in government investment is driving the growth of the oil and gas drones market.

Key players in the oil and gas drones market are concentrating on developing innovative solutions, such as integrated drone solutions, to enhance their market profitability. Integrated drone solutions are driving innovation and transformation in the oil and gas industry by enabling companies to leverage advanced aerial technologies for improved efficiency, safety, and decision-making capabilities. For instance, in March 2023, Asteria Aerospace, an India-based drone technology company, introduced SkyDeck, an end-to-end drone operations platform designed to streamline drone operations across multiple industries, including oil and gas. This cloud-based software offers various services, including fleet management, flight scheduling, data processing, and visualization, all of which significantly influence the utilization of drones in the oil and gas sector, enhancing safety, efficiency, and decision-making processes related to drone operations.

In May 2023, XTEND, a US-based autonomous drone startup, acquired Performance Rotors, a Singapore-based company specializing in creating compact and intelligent aerial drone solutions tailored for use in hazardous and constrained spaces, including the oil and gas industry. The acquisition is expected to bolster XTEND's capacity to provide human-guided, remote interactive operations in various inspection scenarios, including those related to public safety, security, and civil markets.

Major companies operating in the oil and gas drones market are The Boeing Company, GE Aviation, BAE Systems plc, Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd., DJI Enterprise, AeroVironment Inc., Yuneec International, Skydio Inc., XAG Co. Ltd., senseFly SA, Microdrones GmbH, Flyability SA, Quantum-Systems GmbH, Shenzhen Autel Robotics Co. Ltd., PrecisionHawk Inc., Teal Drones Inc., Ascending Technologies Inc., Freefly Systems Inc., Aeryon Labs Inc., Vantage Robotics Inc., Garuda Robotics Private Limited, Guangzhou EHang Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd., Volansi Inc.

North America was the largest region in the oil and gas drones market in 2025. The regions covered in the oil and gas drones market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the oil and gas drones market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The oil and gas drones market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as data analysis, monitoring, surveillance, and pipeline monitoring and maintenance. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The oil and gas drones market also includes sales of landing (VTOL) drones, tethered drones, and hydrogen fuel cell drones. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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