Drone Pipeline Inspection Market

Drone Pipeline Inspection Market Outlook (2023-2033)

The global drone pipeline inspection market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 336.1 million in 2023 and is expected to progress at a CAGR of 14.2% to reach US$ 1,161.3 million by the end of 2033.

In 2023, the global drone services market is estimated to be valued around US$ 6.6 billion. While the drone inspection service market will be valued at US$ 2 billion. In terms of value the adoption of drone pipeline inspection accounted for nearly 17% share of the global drone inspection services market at the end of 2022.

Report Attributes	Details
Market Size (2022A)	US$ 288.5 million
Estimated Market Value (2023E)	US$ 336.1 million
Forecasted Market Value (2033F)	US$ 1,161.3 million
Global Market Growth Rate (2023-2033)	14.2% CAGR
North America Market Share (2022)	~29%
North America Market Value (US$ Mn), 2023	US$ 97.5 million
Europe Market Share (%), 2023	~22.7%
Europe Market Value (US$ Mn), 2023	US$ 76.4 million
China Market Share (%), 2023	~ 22%
China Market Value (US$ Mn)	US$ 73.9 million
Market Share of Top 3 Countries	~55.6%
Key Companies Profiled	3D Robotics, Inc. Acecore Technologies Airobotics Ltd. Vision Aerial, Inc. Teledyne FLIR LLC, American Robotics, Inc. Lockheed Martin Corporation SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. Yuneec International Co. Ltd. Delair Qualcomm Technologies Inc. BAE Systems PLC Israel Aerospace Industries AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.

Adoption Analysis of Drone Pipeline Inspection (2018-2022) Vs. Market Outlook (2023-2033)

Drone inspections can automate manual inspection processes, speed up inspections and collect data, eliminates manual operations and wasted time that can lead to unsafe situations, and closely monitor incidents. The gas and oil industry uses drones for pipeline inspection, infrastructure inspection, and disaster monitoring and mineral exploration.

This maximizes plant uptime and improves worker safety. In the past, inspections in the oil and gas industry have led to the closure of facilities in regards of faulty connections. In some cases, helicopters and complex scaffolding were required. The cost of lost production and special equipment was substantial. Now, drones perform inspections while continuing to operate at a fraction of the cost. Thus, drone pipeline inspection revenue is projected to reach US$ 336.1 million in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 14.2%.

• Short Term (2023 Q1 to 2026): Increasing gas and oil industry will positively impact drone pipeline inspection market growth.
• Medium Term (2026- 2029): With the growing tension between EU and Russia, the demand for drone pipeline inspection is expected to remain high in Europe during the midterm.
• Long Term (2029- 2033): Adopting new advanced and sensor based technology can open new opportunities for drone pipeline inspection market players.

From 2018 to 2022, the global market for drone pipeline inspection registered a CAGR of 9.8%. Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, reveals that the market will exhibit growth at 14.2% CAGR between 2023 and 2033.

Market share analysis of drone pipeline inspection based on end users and region is provided in the above image. Under the end user segment, oil & gas sub-segment dominates with 25.8% market share in 2023.

What’s Driving High Demand for Drone Pipeline Inspection Round the World?

“Rising Refinery Inspection to Elevate the Drone Pipeline Inspection Market Growth”

Drones are utilized in huge industrial facilities like nuclear reactors, boilers, and other megastructures. Pipeline drone inspection service should be routine inspection to avoid any major accidental problems. Drones can identify threats, cutting down on inspection time and expense. Drone efficiency is rising as a result of improvements in inspection drones and their features, including AI/ML, high-definition cameras, infrared cameras, GPS, and LIDAR.

In order to gain a competitive advantage, major market players are introducing cutting-edge drones for inspection applications in the oil and gas sector. For the oil and gas industry, DJI, for instance, provides the Matrice 300 RTK inspection drone to provide real-time data to teams so they can make maintenance decisions more quickly. Reduces the risk of collisions in the most difficult environments. Therefore, these factors are expanding the pipeline drone inspection market.

“Increased Advanced Drone Technology to Elevate the Adoption of Drone Pipeline Inspection”

Technological progress has always been a key factor affecting all end-use sectors. The integration of research into drones has enabled the introduction of LiDAR into drone pipeline inspections. Drone inspections are frequently used in pipelines and hard-to-reach structures because they are quicker, cheaper, and safer than traditional inspection methods.

In addition, a variety of application areas, including the inspection of critical infrastructure, railways, roadways, and bridges, use drones to deliver workable solutions for the inspection. Due to the high accuracy of Lidar models, it is possible to create 3D models (digital twins) of the pipeline and compare them to the original digital model created when the pipeline was installed. This allows the users to determine where the pipeline has moved over time, predict potential damage, and alter the pipeline in order to prevent potential damage.

Additionally, it is anticipated that the global market for pipeline inspection drones will grow as quickly as the oil and gas industries. Thus, the market growth for global drone pipeline inspection is expected to increase to a valuation of US$ 86.6 million in 2023.

What Do Drone Pipeline Inspection Service Providers Need to Watch Out for?

Lack of Technical Maturity Can Hamper the Market Growth”

Drone pipeline inspection market growth is anticipated to be constrained by a lack of skilled labor during the forecast period because the design, development, and operation of drone monitoring systems require specialized skills. Additionally, the assembly of the camera, battery, remote control, propeller, and GPS antenna in a drone is a challenging task.

These parts are expensive, and their prices change frequently, which has a negative effect on service providers' profit margins. During the anticipated period, this is anticipated to restrain the market's growth for pipeline inspection drones. Strict drone regulations in various countries are also expected to limit the growth of the drone pipeline inspection market during the forecast period.

Country-wise Insights

Why is U.S. Expected to Drive Drone Pipeline Inspection Demand?

North America acquired a share of 29% in the drone pipeline inspection market globally in 2023. The United States contributed more than 90% of this North America market revenue. The main factor boosting the market in the country is early adoption of the technology in the US. Additionally, as it is a cheap way to conduct inspections at heights and inaccessible areas, more businesses are using inspection drone technology for visual inspection.

Major companies such as Lockheed Martin Corporation, AeroVironment Inc. and many others are expected to generate larger revenue share. The United States drone pipeline inspection market value is expected to reach US$ 92.6 million in 2023.

Why is Germany Drone Pipeline Inspection Market Expected to Be Highly Lucrative?

Gas pipeline companies in Europe with extensive infrastructure are looking to replace human inspectors with drones. Drone inspection for oil and gas is being driven by this. Increasing demand for drones are frequently used for inspection and monitoring activities, which is expected to drive the market revenue growth. In order to facilitate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations in the area, governments are also developing drone regulations.

Service providers have begun using drones for inspection in the oil and gas sectors in countries like Italy and France. Under the influence of these regional developments, the Germany drone pipeline inspection market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 337.87 million in 2023.

Category-wise Insights

Why is Rotary Wing Product Type a Popular Segment in Drone Pipeline Inspection Market?

Since they can take off and land vertically, rotary wing drones are used in applications that need line-of-sight inspection. The majority of nations in the world permit the use of drones that are within the line of sight of the operator due to their respective legal frameworks. The need for rotary wing inspection drones has therefore greatly increased. These drones are often used in shorter-duration, closer-spaced battles.

The market for drone infrastructure inspection is developing as a result of the rising use of rotary wing drones for industrial and commercial reasons. Owing to the above facts, the rotary wing product type sub-segment of the drone pipeline inspection market is expected to reach valuation of US$ 180.5 million by the end of 2023.

How Optionally Piloted in Operation Segment is Poised to Drive Drone Pipeline Inspection Market?

The pipeline drone inspection and monitoring market is divided into optionally piloted, remotely piloted and fully autonomous segments based on the operation segmentation. Due to its use in end use sectors including the oil and gas, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, the operationally piloted segment is anticipated to generate the considerable revenue and a rapid growth rate throughout the projection period.

Over the course of the evaluation period, the fully autonomous category is anticipated to experience consistent revenue growth. However, there would be a rise in the demand for drones that can be optionally piloted, which is predicted to result in a market valuation of US$ 41.1 million in 2023.

Competitive Landscape

Prominent drone pipeline inspection service providers are 3D Robotics, Inc., Acecore Technologies, Airobotics Ltd., Vision Aerial, Inc., Teledyne FLIR LLC, American Robotics, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd., Yuneec International Co. Ltd., Delair, Qualcomm Technologies Inc., BAE Systems PLC, Israel Aerospace Industries and AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.

Market participants are concentrating resources and capital on research and development while looking to expand their regional footprint. The company has built constructive partnerships and collaborations with governments and end-user industries. High demand for modern drones and accessories allows market participants to expand their product range.

Some of the key developments are:

• In October 2021, SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. introduces the first integrated LiDAR drone solution and powerful full-frame camera payload for aerial surveys. The DJI Zenmuse L1 is DJI's first LIDAR solution for aerial surveying.

Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the price points of key service providers of drone pipeline inspection positioned across regions, adoption of services, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report.

Segmentation of Drone pipeline inspection Industry Research

• By Drone Type :

  • Fixed Wing
  • Rotary Wing
  • Hybrid

• By Operation :

  • Remotely Piloted
  • Optionally Piloted
  • Fully Autonomous

• By End Users :

  • Oil & Gas
  • Food & Beverages
  • Mining
  • Chemicals
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Water Treatment & Sewage
  • Others

• By Region :

  • North America
  • Latin America
  • Europe
  • East Asia
  • South Asia & Oceania
  • Middle East and Africa (MEA)