Global drone industry segmentation market structure
The global drone industry is mainly divided into military drones and civilian drones. Based on data from multiple institutions such as TrendForce and Technavio, it is estimated that by 2023, military drones will account for 24.0% of the global drone market application structure, while civilian drones will account for 76.0%.
Military drones: The United States dominates
The development of global military drones began in the early 20th century, initially used for training and experimental purposes. With the advancement of technology, drones have begun to undertake reconnaissance and surveillance tasks, such as the use of Firefly drones by the United States for reconnaissance in the 1950s. In the 21st century, unmanned aerial vehicle technology has rapidly developed, and countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom have begun to attach importance to the development of autonomous capabilities of unmanned bee colonies, launching multiple autonomous control software products to enhance the autonomous combat capabilities of unmanned bee colonies. The combat effectiveness of UAVs has been tested in the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, the Naqqa conflict and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and has become an indispensable important equipment in the modern battlefield. The development of drones has not only changed the form of warfare, but also promoted the innovation of military technology, making the role of drones increasingly important in future wars.
In the global military drone market, multiple countries including the United States, Israel, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, etc. have developed drones, with over 80 countries equipping them. However, the development of drones is uneven among countries around the world, with the United States having the largest share and being in the top tier globally, with a market share of nearly 50%; Drones from Israel, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China rank in the second tier, with relatively complete industrial chains and a certain production scale, and are developing rapidly; Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia and other developing countries and regions in Asia and Africa are in the third tier. Due to weak foundations, insufficient technological strength and financial investment, the development of drones is still in its infancy.
At present, the main manufacturers of military UAVs in the world include General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, AVIC UAV, Aerospace Rainbow, Israel Aviation Industry Group, Israel Elbit Systems, Türkiye Aviation Industry Group, Bayer Makina, Türkiye Visida Defense, etc., as shown in the table below:
Civilian drones: DJI innovation leads the way
In recent years, the global civilian drone market has grown rapidly, with total sales of consumer and industrial drones increasing rapidly. Among them, consumer grade drones are particularly rapid, with a market size about twice that of industrial grade drones, and growing rapidly at a rate of 50% per year.
DJI Innovation is a global leader in consumer grade drones. According to Drone Industry Insight, a global drone market research firm, the top five civilian drone companies in the world in 2023 are DJI Innovation Skydio、 Jifei Technology Parrot、 Zongheng Corporation, among the top five companies in the industry globally, has three Chinese companies, and the development of China's drone industry has reached a global leading level.
