Connected Commercial Drones - 1st Edition

Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are aircraft that operate without a human pilot, crew or passenger onboard. Drones were first created for the military market before entering the consumer and commercial markets. This development can be attributed to a range of technological advancements over the last 20 years. Commercial drones have high payload capacities, long flight times and robust navigation systems.

These also incorporate advanced ground control stations and communication systems to support their operation, enabling them to be used in several industries. All drones feature RF communications in the 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz bands as default for both flight control and data transmission. It is however common that commercial drones also include cellular or satellite connectivity when long-distance missions are to be conducted. The definition of a commercial drone is an unmanned aircraft that features some level of autonomy. Included are drones used for industrial and governmental purposes while excluding drones used for recreational purposes, drones offered or rented as services as well as weaponised military-grade drones.

The number of connected commercial drones reached 2.8 million units worldwide in 2024

The research estimates that the installed base of commercial drones reached 2.8 million units worldwide in 2024. The installed base includes connected drones in the agriculture, military and defence, public safety and first response, and surveying and inspection application areas. In the agricultural sector, drones used for both aerial imagery and crop spraying operations, while the military and defence area includes tactical drones used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions. Drones for public safety and first response also comprise drone-in-a-box solutions.

The surveying and inspection application area considers drones used within the construction, aggregates, mining, energy, oil and gas, utilities and renewables industries. Lastly, other application areas include drones for delivery and logistics as well as environmental monitoring and media and entertainment. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9 percent, the installed base of commercial drones is forecasted to reach roughly 4.5 million units by 2029. Asia-Pacific is estimated to account for the largest share of the installed base, followed by North America, Europe, the Middle East & Africa and Latin America. The top players active in the commercial drone space range from specialised technology suppliers of varying sizes to leading drone manufacturers.

Many of the key players today serve several application areas, while other solution providers may focus on one single use case. The market is led by China-based DJI, which holds an estimated 70 percent market share of the global drone market as of 2024. Other leading drone manufacturers include Autel Robotics and JOUAV based in China, France-based Delair and Parrot, as well as Skydio, AeroVironment and AgEagle from the US.

The commercial drone market is set for a consolidation journey in the upcoming years as many application areas are fragmented. The solution providers are also largely impacted by the developing drone related regulations, which can affect the adoption of commercial drones worldwide. Regulations are in a sense steering the market in order to implement safe and efficient usage of drones across several industries.

Highlights from the report

Insights from numerous interviews with market-leading companies.
Comprehensive overview of the connected drone value chain and key applications.
In-depth analysis of market trends and key developments.
Detailed profiles of 45 drone solution providers.
Reviews of the latest initiatives launched by industry players.
Market forecasts by application area, region and wireless technology lasting until 2029.

This report answers the following questions

Who are the leading providers of commercial drone solutions?
What are the main applications for drones within industrial and governmental sectors?
What offerings are available from drone solution providers?
How will the adoption of cellular and satellite connectivity evolve?
What are the recent merger and acquisition activities on this market?
What are the main drivers and barriers behind the adoption of commercial drones?
How are regulatory developments affecting the drone industry?

Executive Summary

1 The Commercial Drone Market

1.1 Introduction to commercial drones
1.1.1 The evolution of drones
1.1.2 Classifications of drones
1.1.3 Wing types
1.1.4 Level of autonomy
1.1.5 Flight operations

2 Connected Commercial Drones

2.1 Connected drone infrastructure
2.1.1 Drone segment
2.1.2 Navigation segment
2.1.3 Network segment
2.1.4 Backoffice segment
2.2 Commercial drone applications
2.2.1 Agriculture
2.2.2 Logistics and delivery
2.2.3 Military and defence
2.2.4 Public safety and first response
2.2.5 Surveying and inspection
2.2.6 Other application areas
2.3 Laws and regulations
2.4 Business models and strategies

3 Market Forecasts and Trends

3.1 Market analysis
3.1.1 Unit shipments and installed base
3.1.2 Regional markets
3.1.3 Wireless technologies
3.1.4 Market value
3.2 Value chain analysis
3.2.1 Drone industry players
3.2.2 Camera and sensor industry players
3.2.3 Telecom industry players
3.2.4 IT industry players
3.3 Market drivers and trends
3.3.1 Drones flying BVLOS are progressing with reliable connectivity
3.3.2 Increasing adoption of drone-in-a-box solutions for continuous operations
3.3.3 Ambiguous growth in drone sales as geopolitical tensions develop
3.3.4 The drone industry continues its consolidation journey
3.3.5 Swarm technology has the potential to reshape commercial drone operations

4 Drone Manufacturers

4.1 AgEagle
4.2 Autel Robotics
4.3 C-ASTRAL Aerospace
4.4 Delair
4.5 DJI
4.6 Draganfly
4.7 Drone Volt
4.8 Honeycomb Aerospace
4.9 ideaForge
4.10 JOUAV
4.11 MMC
4.12 Parrot
4.13 Skydio
4.14 TTA
4.15 Yuneec International (ATL)

5 Specialised Drone Vendors

5.1 Agriculture
5.1.1 Aonic
5.1.2 Hylio
5.1.3 Jiyi
5.1.4 Sentera
5.1.5 XAG
5.2 Military and defence
5.2.1 AeroVironment
5.2.2 Alpha Unmanned Systems
5.2.3 BlueBird Aero Systems
5.2.4 Edge Autonomy
5.2.5 Red Cat
5.2.6 TEKEVER
5.2.7 Teledyne FLIR
5.2.8 UAVision
5.2.9 Vayu Aerospace
5.3 Public safety and first response
5.3.1 AEE
5.3.2 Avy
5.3.3 BRINC Drones
5.3.4 Fotokite
5.3.5 Walkera
5.4 Surveying and inspection
5.4.1 AIR6 Systems
5.4.2 Flyability
5.4.3 Prodrone
5.4.4 Voliro
5.4.5 Wingtra
5.4.6 Xer Technologies
5.5 Other specialised vendors
5.5.1 A2Z Drone Delivery
5.5.2 EHang
5.5.3 Freefly Systems
5.5.4 RigiTech
5.5.5 SafeSight Exploration

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

List of Figures

Figure 1.1: A remotely piloted drone in the early 1980s
Figure 1.2: Types of drones according to size
Figure 1.3: Types of drones according to range
Figure 1.4: Examples of drones with different wing types
Figure 1.5: Levels of drone autonomy
Figure 1.6: Examples of drone controllers in different forms
Figure 1.7: Difference between drones flying within VLOS, EVLOS and BVLOS
Figure 2.1: Connected commercial drones infrastructure overview
Figure 2.2: General structure of UAS and UAV
Figure 2.3: Overview of drone LiDAR sensing functionality
Figure 2.4: Real-time kinematic (RTK) correction service
Figure 2.5: Post-processed kinematic (PPK) correction service
Figure 2.6: Common wireless technologies used in drone operations
Figure 2.7: Example of a multi-rotor crop spraying drone
Figure 2.8: Example of a multi-rotor drone delivering goods
Figure 2.9: Example of a multi-rotor drone for ISTAR missions
Figure 2.10: Example of an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) carrying missiles
Figure 2.11: Example of a multi-rotor drone for fire assessment
Figure 2.12: Example of a fixed-wing VTOL drone at a mine site
Figure 2.13: Example of a fixed-wing drone delivering medical supplies
Figure 2.14: Overview of the Remote ID mandate in the EU
Figure 3.1: Unit shipment and installed base by application area (World 2024-2029)
Figure 3.2: Unit shipment and installed base by region (World 2024-2029)
Figure 3.3: Unit shipment and installed base by wireless technology (World 2024-2029)
Figure 3.4: Market value by application area (World 2024-2029)
Figure 3.5: Financial data for drone manufacturers and specialised vendors
Figure 3.6: Teledyne FLIR’s Boson range of radiometric thermal cameras
Figure 3.7: Top 10 mobile operators by IoT connections (World Q4-2023)
Figure 3.8: Satellite network operators by IoT subscriber base (Q4-2023)
Figure 3.9: User interface of Pix4Dmapper
Figure 3.10: The DJI Dock 3 drone-in-a-box solution
Figure 3.11: M&A activity among commercial drone providers (2012-2025)
Figure 3.12: Example of a drone swarm
Figure 4.1: AgEagle’s eBee X and TAC drones
Figure 4.2: The Autel Alpha multi-rotor drone
Figure 4.3: C-ASTRAL Aerospace’s range of fixed-wing drones
Figure 4.4: The Bramor C4EYE drone
Figure 4.5: Delair’s DT46 drone in VTOL and fixed-wing versions
Figure 4.6: Range of AGRAS drones for crop spraying and spreading
Figure 4.7: DJI’s FlyCart 30 delivery drone
Figure 4.8: Draganfly’s Heavy Lift drone
Figure 4.9: Drone Volt’s range of drones for spraying applications
Figure 4.10: The Hercules 20 Spray drone cleaning a wind turbine blade
Figure 4.11: Honeycomb Aerospace’s range of multi-rotor and hybrid VTOL drones
Figure 4.12: ideaForge’s NETRA 5 drone
Figure 4.13: The CW series of fixed-wing hybrid VTOL drones
Figure 4.14: JOUAV’s CW-25E electric fixed-wing VTOL drone
Figure 4.15: Parrot’s ANAFI USA and ANAFI Ai drones
Figure 4.16: The Skydio X10 drone for public safety
Figure 4.17: TTA’s M6E-G300 agricultural drone for crop spraying
Figure 4.18: Yuneec’s H520E drone
Figure 5.1: Aonic’s Oryctes drone for spot spraying
Figure 5.2: Hylio’s crop spraying drones
Figure 5.3: Sentera’s PHX fixed-wing drone for crop monitoring
Figure 5.4: XAG’s P series crop spraying drones
Figure 5.5: AeroVironment’s family of small uncrewed aircraft systems
Figure 5.6: The new P550 all-electric VTOL drone
Figure 5.7: The Alpha 900 single-rotor drone
Figure 5.8: BlueBird’s range of fixed-wing VTOL drones
Figure 5.9: Edge Autonomy’s range of fixed-wing drones for advanced missions
Figure 5.10: The ARACHNID family of systems
Figure 5.11: Form factors of the new Rogue 1 drone
Figure 5.12: The Mitigator tactical drone
Figure 5.13: Avy’s Aera fixed-wing VTOL drone
Figure 5.14: BRINC’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) solution
Figure 5.15: The Fotokite Sigma system
Figure 5.16: Walkera’s WK-1800 firefighting drone
Figure 5.17: Flyability’s Elios 3 drone for confined space inspection
Figure 5.18: The Voliro T omnidirectional drone
Figure 5.19: The WingtraOne Gen II VTOL drone
Figure 5.20: The X8 drone performing powerline inspection
Figure 5.21: The RDSX Pelican 2.0 and RDST Longtail delivery drones
Figure 5.22: The Astro professional drone and Pilot Pro controller
Figure 5.23: The Eiger long-distance delivery drone
Figure 5.24: The SafeScout emergency response drone

Companies Mentioned (Partial List)

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:

AgEagle
Autel Robotics
C-ASTRAL Aerospace
Delair
DJI
Draganfly
Drone Volt
Honeycomb Aerospace
ideaForge
JOUAV
MMC
Parrot
Skydio
TTA
Yuneec International (ATL)
Aonic
Hylio
Jiyi
Sentera
XAG
AeroVironment
Alpha Unmanned Systems
BlueBird Aero Systems
Edge Autonomy
Red Cat
TEKEVER
Teledyne FLIR
UAVision
Vayu Aerospace
AEE
Avy
BRINC Drones
Fotokite
Walkera
AIR6 Systems
Flyability
Prodrone
Voliro
Wingtra
Xer Technologies
A2Z Drone Delivery
EHang
Freefly Systems
RigiTech
SafeSight Exploration

Table Information

Report Attribute	Details
No. of Pages	140
Published	April 2025
Forecast Period	2024 - 2029
Estimated Market Value ( USD ) in 2024	$ 2.8 Million
Forecasted Market Value ( USD ) by 2029	$ 4.5 Million
Compound Annual Growth Rate	9.9%
Regions Covered	Global

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The number of connected commercial drones reached 2.8 million units worldwide in 2024

Highlights from the report

This report answers the following questions

Table of Contents

Companies Mentioned (Partial List)

Table Information

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