Analysts see trend toward massive growth fueled by multiple industries.

New regulations have made a significant impact on drone usage in the US. The specter of forthcoming rules had put a mild damper on enthusiasm for commercial use. Now that regulations are in place, business and consumers are able to act. And they are. Unmanned activity is booming like never before. The trend lines are clear enough, analysts are getting a good picture of the bright future of the unmanned systems (UAS) industry.

Teal Group analysts predict that non-military US production of UAS will total $10.9 Billion by 2025. That’s up from 2015 numbers of $2.6 Billion.  They expect commercial systems to surpass all other categories, including the white-hot consumer category, by 2022. Examples of this growth can be seen across a broad range of commercial categories including agricultural, transportation and logistics, media/film, real estate, utilities and public safety.

In central New York, legislators have invested $30 million to develop a UAS traffic management system. It is hoped the system will support commercial applications of UAS across a range of industries to accelerate regional industry growth and innovation. Firefighters everywhere can anticipate greater use of UAS in their work – particularly in remote situations such as forest fires or search and rescue missions. Tests by Lockheed-Martin and other partners have demonstrated impressive unmanned capabilities that will augment manned activity. Life-saving time reductions and significant cost savings will make drones an essential component of fire and rescue. Will all this traffic cause problems? In Denver, the FAA is working on systems to better detect UAS in airport environments to avoid potential conflicts.

Are you seeing the use of UAS in your industry? As a leader in UAS, Terre Haute Regional Airport will keep you in the loop of new developments in this exciting industry.