Aerospace and Defense Review

The Rise of Unmanned Aerial Systems

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or drones are revolutionising industries worldwide. With significant growth in the Indian market, drones are poised to dominate sectors like logistics, defence, agriculture, and public safety, driven by advancements in technology and favourable regulations.

FREMONT, CA: Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), also referred to as drones, are called the future of flight. With innovations in the field of electronics, specifically cameras and their integrations with machine learning and AI systems, drones have evolved significantly over the years. The UASs have played important roles in post-disaster operations, public security, atmospheric sensing, infrastructure management, and logistics.

As there has been a drastic increase in commercialisation as well as new applications for UASs, the enterprise drone market in India has been increasing significantly. It is predicted that it will occupy 41 per cent of the global drone market by the year 2027. The global market itself will be worth USD 54 billion by the year 2025. As the demand for fast delivery rises, there is also an increase in the efficiency of hybrid commercial drones and the advancement of progressive regulatory frameworks.

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The logistics drone segment in the market is predicted to take up around 36 per cent of the global market by the year 2030. This year a company has used drones to deliver around 36 stores in the US. Some companies are also launching medicine drone delivery services, and it is also expected to spill over to the e-commerce industry.

Although the drone industry in India is only in its infancy, there has been drastic growth in the past few years and is expected to expand even further, and this growth is accelerated. This rapid advancement is supported by the rising demand across different sectors, such as infrastructure, agriculture, defence, and public safety.

The UAS market was estimated to be at USD 2.7 billion in 2022 and is forecasted to grow to USD 23 billion by the year 2030. The defence drone segment contributed the biggest share in the 2022 market with over USD 1.28 billion, with various applications in terrain mapping, surveillance, and counter defence. The government has predicted that it will have a turnover from USD 1.47 billion to USD 1.83 billion by the year 2026. As the applications of drones spill over to other industries, the defence sector has been encouraged by the government to introduce market-friendly regulations, laws, policies, and initiatives.

To better ease the business aspect of the drone market, the Indian government introduced drone rules in 2021, which replaced the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules in 2021.

The rules brought about numerous changes in the industry, which included eliminating restrictions on foreign-owned and controlled companies in the context of manufacturing and operating drones. It also simplified the drone registration and certification process. To promote the Make in India initiative, the government has restricted the imports of semi- and completely-built drones, but components to build drones can still be imported.

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