3 mn personal and commercial drones to be shipped in 2017

Production of drones for personal and commercial use is growing rapidly, with global market revenue expected to increase 34 per cent to reach more than $6 billion in 2017 and grow to more than $11.2 billion by 2020, according to a new forecast from Gartner, Inc. Almost three million drones will be produced in 2017, 39 per cent more than in 2016. While the civil markets (personal and commercial) have been wading through regulation by various governments, drones’ popularity in these markets has not diminished. The overall drone market will see substantial growth, but the dynamics of the personal and commercial submarkets are very different, Gartner analysts said.

Personal drones will continue to increase in popularity as an affordable extension of consumers’ smartphones for taking photographs and for other entertainment options. They can fly a short distance and time, typically no more than 5,000m and for one hour, with flight height constrained to within 500m. They weigh less than two kilograms and are priced less than $5,000. “The commercial and personal drone markets are increasingly overlapping, as lower-priced personal devices are being used for commercial ventures,” said Gartner senior research analyst Gerald Van Hoy. The market for commercial drones is much smaller, with a significantly higher average selling price.