the global drone market could be worth around $90bn by 2030, up from $17bn in 2021, according to GlobalData. Credit: Dmitry Kalinovsky/shutterstock

China has announced new drone regulations that could make it easier for businesses to use them in unregulated airspace. 

The CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) announced new classifications of airspace. 

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Class G refers to airspace with an average sea level of 6000 meters and class W which is an airspace below the altitude of 300 meters and away from airports. 

Both airspaces are now considered unregulated airspace which now, according to a statement made by the CAAC, are not provided air traffic control. The move makes these spaces easier to fly drones and other small UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) in. 

According to research analyst company GlobalData, the drone market is steadily moving beyond its defence origins and is seeping into solutions for construction, agriculture and mining.

Drones have also begun to be sold as consumer devices. 

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According to its thematic intelligence report into drones, GlobalData forecasts that the global drone market could be worth around $90bn by 2030, up from $17bn in 2021. 

Revenue from commercial sales of drones is expected to exceed military sales by 2025. 

Despite this commercial interest, venture financing in drones remains unsteady. Since 2019 drone-related VC has remained $700m but has experienced drops in interest during 2020 and 2022.

Technological advancements in AI and its recent surge in interest may help boost drone-related VC in 2024. The huge swathe of data that is produced by drones is increasingly in need of sophisticated analysis.  

GlobalData also found that AI-powered drones may become more popular as they use machine vision to recognise objects, which is useful for autonomous flying and obstacle avoidance. 

Our signals coverage is powered by GlobalData’s Thematic Engine, which tags millions of data items across six alternative datasets – patents, jobs, deals, company filings, social media mentions and news – to themes, sectors and companies. These signals enhance our predictive capabilities, helping us to identify the most disruptive threats across each of the sectors we cover and the companies best placed to succeed.