South American Commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Growth Opportunities

Increasing Commodity Prices Encourage Competitive Intensity for Commercial Drone Services in the Region

This study analyzes the current position of South America in the global commercial unmanned aerial system (UAS) market and examines how current international events will shape its development in the upcoming years. Relevant growth opportunities have been highlighted to show which market segments will experience the highest growth rate in the region in the next 5 years.

Most commercial drone platforms in this market are used by the agricultural and mining sectors, with differing grades of adoption across the region. Drone delivery applications are gradually witnessing increasing adoption and have the potential to take off in mountainous countries in the near future due to the lack of infrastructure for conventional vehicles and inactive aerospace, enabling the widespread use of commercial drone platforms.

The main trend defining this space is the boom of the commodity market. Geopolitical conflict in Europe has driven businesses to seek new sources of primary resources such as metal and agricultural goods and has pushed prices up worldwide. To meet this new demand, producers across South America are adopting drone technology to improve workflows and productivity. However, the introduction of drone technology depends heavily on trade policy. South American countries following open trade policies, such as Chile, Colombia, and Peru, will witness faster adoption rates, whereas countries with protectionist policies, such as Argentina and Brazil, will see slower adoption rates due to the high tariffs associated with the import of drone platforms. The widespread introduction of drone technology is also limited by a lack of qualified operators, with few training options available in the region.