Drone Battery Market Opportunities and Strategies to 2033

This report describes and explains the drone battery market and covers 2018-2023, termed the historic period, and 2023-2028, 2033F termed the forecast period. The report evaluates the market across each region and for the major economies within each region.

The global drone battery market reached a value of nearly $4.99 billion in 2023, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.32% since 2018. The market is expected to grow from $4.99 billion in 2023 to $13.25 billion in 2028 at a rate of 21.59%. The market is then expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.69% from 2028 and reach $33.92 billion in 2033.

Growth in the historic period resulted from the increased investments and number of drone start-up businesses, rise in recreational activities, deployment of drones for medical delivery in the healthcare sector and high demand for security and surveillance applications. Factors that negatively affected growth in the historic period include the limited availability of charging infrastructure for drones and economic uncertainties or downturns.

Going forward, the increasing industrialization across various sectors, rise in defense budgets, expansion of e-commerce and logistics, increase in the adoption of drones for commercial and defense applications, favorable government policies will drive the market. Factors that could hinder the growth of the drone battery market in the future include the significant upfront investment required for development and concerns over battery safety and risk of fires.

The drone battery market is segmented by component into cell, BMS, enclosure and connector. The cell market was the largest segment of the drone battery market segmented by component, accounting for 56.98% or $2.84 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the BMS segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the drone battery market segmented by component, at a CAGR of 23.81% during 2023-2028.

The drone battery market is segmented by battery into fuel cell, lithium-ion, lithium-polymer, nickel-cadmium and other battery. The lithium-ion market was the largest segment of the drone battery market segmented by battery, accounting for 52.26% or $2.61 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the lithium-polymer segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the drone battery market segmented by battery, at a CAGR of 24.30% during 2023-2028.

The drone battery market is segmented by drone type into medium altitude long endurance, high altitude long endurance, low altitude short endurance (LASE) and other drone types. The medium altitude long endurance market was the largest segment of the drone battery market segmented by drone type, accounting for 39.07% or $1.95 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the high-altitude long endurance segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the drone battery market segmented by drone type, at a CAGR of 1,947.87% during 2023-2028.

The drone battery market is segmented by function into intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), logistics & supply, aerial photography, data acquisition & analytics and other functions. The intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) market was the largest segment of the drone battery market segmented by function, accounting for 30.76% or $1.53 billion of the total in 2023. Going forward, the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the drone battery market segmented by function, at a CAGR of 23.72% during 2023-2028.

North America was the largest region in the drone battery market, accounting for 36.77% or $1.83 billion of the total in 2023. It was followed by Asia-Pacific, Western Europe and then the other regions. Going forward, the fastest-growing regions in the drone battery market will be Asia-Pacific and South America, where growth will be at CAGRs of 24.72% and 21.34% respectively. These will be followed by the Middle East and Western Europe, where the markets are expected to grow at CAGRs of 21.14% and 20.88% respectively.

The global drone battery market is fragmented, with a large number of small players in the market. The top ten competitors in the market made up to 8.30% of the total market in 2023. The market fragmentation can be attributed to the presence of small players in different geographies. Shenzhen Grepow Battery Co. was the largest competitor with a 2.55% share of the market, followed by EaglePicher Technologies LLC with 1.79%, Autel Robotics Co. Ltd. (Autelpilot) with 1.29%, Intelligent Energy Ltd. with 0.70%, Parrot Drones SAS with 0.43%, Skydio Inc. with 0.41%, DJI Technology Co. Ltd. with 0.38%, RRC Power Solution Inc. with 0.38%, Sion Power Corp. with 0.22% and Lumenier Holdco LLC with 0.16%.

The top opportunities in the drone battery market segmented by component will arise in the cell segment, which will gain $4.36 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the drone battery market segmented by battery will arise in the lithium-ion segment, which will gain $4.2 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the drone battery market segmented by drone type will arise in the high altitude long endurance (HALE) segment, which will gain $4.3 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the drone battery market segmented by function will arise in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) segment, which will gain $2.91 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The top opportunities in the drone battery market segmented by end-user will arise in the military segment, which will gain $4.1 billion of global annual sales by 2028. The drone battery market size will gain the most in the USA at $2.29 billion.

Market-trend-based strategies for the drone battery market include advancements in nuclear battery technology, establishment of large-scale production plants to boost manufacturing capabilities, focus on forming strategic partnerships, integrating advanced smart battery technology and development of innovative patented accessories that improve usability.

Player-adopted strategies in the drone battery market include focus on enhancing operational capabilities through new product solutions and strategic partnerships.

To take advantage of the opportunities, the analyst recommends the drone battery companies to focus on advancements in nuclear battery technology, focus on advanced smart battery technology, focus on innovative patented accessories, focus on battery management systems, focus on lithium-polymer batteries, focus on high altitude long endurance (HALE) segment, expand in emerging markets, continue to focus on developed markets, focus on strategic partnerships, provide competitively priced offerings, continue to use B2B promotions and focus on the commercial market segment.