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Drones 15 February 2019 Thematic Research: Technology GDTMT-TR-S206 Drones 15 February 2019 Drones are on their way Unmanned aerial vehicles – UAVs or, more commonly, drones – have been Inside a regular feature in military applications, especially surveillance, for some . Players time. However, over the past three to four years, the rapid proliferation of . Trends consumer electronics, the emergence of cloud technologies, the declining . Industry analysis cost of server and bandwidth usage, the improving price-to-performance . Value chain ratio of hardware components, and a dramatic rise in demand for a “bird’s- . Companies section eye” view of the earth have steadily opened up the market for the civilian use . Technology briefing of drones both as recreational devices, and in commercial applications. Glossary Drones will find a place at the heart of the IoT ecosystem The ongoing development of the Internet of Things (IoT) combined with rising demand for drones among enthusiasts and enterprises – in addition to military organizations – is driving innovation in, and adoption of, drone technology. As the capabilities of drone technology improve on one hand, while the cost declines on the other, drones will become increasingly ubiquitous – playing an important role in the burgeoning IoT ecosystem. Drone adoption is being held back by regulation The enthusiastic adoption of drone technology by both individuals and enterprises faces regulatory barriers in many countries, driven by a combination of security and safety concerns. However, compelled by industrial demand, several governments are gradually undertaking regulatory reforms relating to the use of drones in commercial airspaces. This, in turn, is fueling investment for technological improvements and business prospects. As regulations mature, drones as a service (DaaS) providers are poised to take advantage of opportunities to offer industry-specific solutions, with interest in drone adoption growing in a number of key domains including drone delivery, drone-based internet services, disaster response, and medical assistance. As adoption grows, the market is becoming increasingly intense and competitive, with several leaders already emerging. Who is at the forefront in the drones industry? DJI is the dominant force in the civilian drones sector, both in commercial and consumer markets. The nearest competitors to DJI include Parrot and Yuneec, which are driving technological improvements to their offerings, but are struggling to compete with DJI’s aggressive pricing strategies. Report type In the government sector, General Atomics and Northrop Grumman are well . Single theme positioned, with Aviation Corporation of China (AVIC) progressing steadily . Multi-theme worldwide. Aerovironment, Elbit Systems and Insitu (Boeing) are also key . Sector Scorecard players competing in both the civilian and government sectors. [email protected] www.globaldata.com +44 (0) 207 406 6764 © GlobalData 2018 This document is authorized for use only by [email protected]. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Please contact your Account Manager or Client Services team for additional copies. GDTMT-TR-S206 Drones 15 February 2019 Contents PLAYERS ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 TRENDS ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Technology trends ............................................................................................................................................4 Macroeconomic trends .....................................................................................................................................7 Regulatory trends .......................................................................................................................................... 10 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS ......................................................................................................................................................................14 Market size and growth forecasts ................................................................................................................. 14 Competitive analysis ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Timeline ......................................................................................................................................................... 18 VALUE CHAIN ....................................................................................................................................................................................19 The hardware layer is a fundamental component in the drone value chain ................................................. 20 The software layer is getting increasingly crowded ...................................................................................... 21 DaaS providers are the new entrants in the industry .................................................................................... 22 COMPANIES SECTION .....................................................................................................................................................................23 Public companies .......................................................................................................................................... 23 Private companies ......................................................................................................................................... 28 TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING ...............................................................................................................................................................30 Anatomy of a drone ....................................................................................................................................... 30 Key technologies within a drone ................................................................................................................... 32 GLOSSARY ...........................................................................................................................................................................................37 APPENDIX: OUR “THEMATIC” RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................. 38 www.globaldata.com 2 This document is authorized for use only by [email protected]. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Please contact your Account Manager or Client Services team for additional copies. GDTMT-TR-S206 Drones 15 February 2019 Players The government sector (including the military) is the primary market for drones, followed by the consumer segment. Commercial applications of drones are gradually increasing, and many enterprises are seeking regulatory permits for full-scale deployment of drones in their day-to-day operations. This optimistic outlook for drones is driving intense competition in the market with many companies, both established players and start- ups, vying for a share in a market that is set to enjoy strong growth over the next five years Technology giants such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Intel and Facebook are strengthening their focus on drone technologies as they look to cash in on the potential for drones to drive the transformation of traditional industrial operational systems and pave the way for Industry 4.0. The chart below identifies some of the leaders and challengers in the drones industry. Who are the big players in the drones industry by end user market? DJI is the most dominant player in the commercial and consumer drones industry, while General Atomics and AVIC command strong positions in the government segment. Drones market by Leaders Challengers end user Northrop Grumman Boeing AeroVironment CASC General Atomics Textron Elbit Systems Raytheon Military Aviation Industry Israel Aerospace Corporation of China Lockheed Martin BAE Systems Industries Government (AVIC) AeroVironment DJI General Atomics Northrop Grumman Homeland Security Insitu (Boeing) Schiebel InstantEye Lockheed Martin Elbit Systems Yuneec Aeryon Labs DJI Autel Robotics CyberHawk Kespry General purpose Parrot PrecisionHawk Aeryon Labs AgEagle Yuneec Measure Flytrex Ehang Trimble AeroVironment Intel Amazon Precision Agriculture DJI PrecisionHawk Timble AGCO SenseFly (Parrot) HoneyComb AgEagle enRoute AeroVironment Yamaha Delair-Tech Drone Volt Construction & Real DJI Trimble Aeryon Labs Yuneec Parrot Kespry Skycatch* PrecisionHawk Mining/Oil & Gas Lockheed Martin SenseFly (Parrot) Aeryon Labs Sky Future AeroVironment PrecisionHawk DJI Intel Commercial Meteorology & Northrop Grumman DJI Insitu (Boeing) Environment General Atomics SenseFly (Parrot) AeroVironment Power & Utilities SenseFly (Parrot) Trimble Delair-Tech CyberHawk PrecisionHawk AeroVironment Measure PrecisionHawk Betterview 3D Robotics Dronebase Insurance DJI Coverge Measure Airbus AeroVironment DroneDeploy Kespry Genpact DJI PrecisionHawk Autel Robotics Halo Media & Entertainment Yuneec Trimble Aerial MOB Revell SenseFly (Parrot) Aeryon Labs Hubsan 3D Robotics Amazon Flirtey FedEx Walmart Delivery & Logistics Google
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