UAV Inspection Drones Market

UAV Inspection Drones Market Outlook (2023-2033)

The global UAV inspection market is set to enjoy a valuation of US$ 212.8 million in 2023 and further expand at a CAGR of 15.6% to reach US$ 906.9 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 scanning service market will be valued at US$ 2 billion. UAV inspection market is one of the prominent segment in revenue generation from drone inspection services, wherein services from UAV inspection market accounted for nearly 10.7% share of the global drone inspection service market at the end of 2023.

Report Attributes	Details
Market Size (2022A)	US$ 179.6 Million
Estimated Market Value (2023E)	US$ 212.8 Million
Forecasted Market Value (2033F)	US$ 906.9 Million
Global Market Growth Rate (2023-2033)	15.6% CAGR
North America Market Share (2023)	~ 30.1%
North America Market Value (US$ Mn), 2023	US$ 64.1 Million
Europe Market Share (%), 2023	~35.4%
Europe Market Value (US$ Mn), 2023	US$ 75.4 Million
China Market Share (%), 2023	~11.8%
China Market Value (US$ Mn), 2023	US$ 25.2 Million
Top 3 country Market Share (%)	~40.4%
Key Companies Profiled	Applus+ Dexon Technology PLC DJM Aerial Solutions Equinox's Drones FlyWorx Drone & Media Services FORCE TECHNOLOGY Intertek Group plc Maverick Inspection Ltd MISTRAS Group Sky Futures

Deployment Analysis of UAV Inspection Market (2017-2021) Vs. Market Forecast Outlook (2023-2033)

These days, drone inspections are being performed in almost every industry that requires visual inspections as part of its maintenance procedures. By using a drone to collect visual data on the physical condition of an asset, inspectors can avoid putting themselves in dangerous situations.

Inspection drones are transforming manual inspection processes, allowing inspectors to speed up data collection eliminating slower manual steps that also place them in danger.

UAV inspections have made inspecting chimney, towers and other sky rocketing buildings easier. With AI and ML integration in these drones, a predefined inspection protocol can be followed and the process can also be customized to enhance detailed inspection of ambiguous spots without putting human life to risk. This data can also be stored for planning a future action and to understand progression of damage etc.

With the advent of technology, service providers are now creating high-tech drones at lower cost. This is also playing a crucial role in increasing drone affordability and thus demand for a UAV inspection.

• Short Term (2023 Q2 to 2025): Rotary wing UAV inspection with remotely piloted operation mode to positively impact UAV inspection market growth in immediate future.
• Medium Term (2025-2028): Increasing affordability of population and the evolution of law and regulations for UAV will favor the market growth in Europe and North America in medium term.
• Long Term (2028-2033): In longer run, the increase in use UAV inspection in South Asia & Oceania region will upsurge the market growth

Over the 2017-2021 historical period, the global UAV inspection market registered a CAGR of 10.2%, and according to the Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, the market is projected to exhibit growth at 15.6% CAGR between 2023 and 2033.

Market share analysis of UAV inspection based on operation mode and region is provided in a nutshell in the above image. Under the operation mode segment, the remotely piloted sub-segment dominates with 64.4% market share in 2023.

What’s Driving Demand for UAV Inspection?

“UAV Inspection is Better than Traditional Inspection”

Drones are employed on offshore platforms as well as at well sites, pipelines, and storage facilities. Additionally, they work in big industrial facilities that include reactors, boilers, and other enormous buildings. Threats are detected by drones, which can speed up inspections and cut costs. The effectiveness of inspection drones is improved by technological advancements that aid their functions, including AI/ML, high-resolution cameras, thermal imaging, GPS, and LIDAR.

In order to acquire a competitive edge, major market players are introducing cutting-edge drones for inspection applications in the oil and gas sector. They are also stressing the extension of their product portfolios.

For the oil and gas industry, DJI, for example, offers the Matrice 300 RTK inspection drone to deliver real-time data and help team make swift choices on maintenance. An all-around obstacle avoidance system is included with the M300 RTK. In even the most difficult circumstances, it lowers the danger of collision. From this angle, UAV inspection is always preferable than conventional inspection and the preference is pushing forward the UAV inspection market.

“Drone Technology Delivers a Rich Dataset and Powerful Return-On-Investment”

For teams that inspect cell towers and transmission towers, telecommunication and transmission lines present a significant risk. Drones have the ability to move at great heights, allowing for camera and laser examination of towers. This lessens the danger to the crew performing the tower check. As network operators move toward the 5G platform, the telecommunications sector is undergoing a rapid development. This is expected to increase demand for inspection drones.

Also, due to the growth of the transmission line and communications tower infrastructure, demand for inspection drones has been increasing steadily. Drones are being used by several nations to monitor power towers and lines.

What Do UAV Inspection Service Providers Need to Watch Out?

“Low Battery Capacity to Restrain Market Growth”

UAV inspection tasks are normally quick and easy as long as the inspector has completed the appropriate preparations. The drone should be able to fly over the entire targeted area without needing to be retrieved to change the batteries.

Nevertheless, it might not always be feasible. On certain occasions, it may take some time to thoroughly inspect the entire house or building which would be challenging and costly if the drone's battery is depleted. Any drone is functional as long as it has a minimum flight time of 25 minutes per battery cycle. Large battery drones cost a lot of money.

Even if battery capacity is being increased by service providers, the landing of drones will continue to be a major problem for service providers, but persistent, strong innovations will undoubtedly yield great results soon and will enable the UAV inspection market to anticipate widespread penetration.

Country-wise Insights

Why UAV Inspection is So Popular in US?

With a 30.1% market share in 2021, North America dominated the inspection drone industry globally.

The main element boosting the market in the region is early adoption of the drone technology. Additionally, as it is an affordable approach to conduct inspections at heights and inaccessible locations, more businesses are embracing inspection drone technology for visual inspections. US UAV inspection market will likely to reach the valuation of US$ 55.9 million in 2023.

Why is Demand for UAV Inspection High in China?

China is a major market for inspection drones. Asia Pacific UAV inspection market is expected to pace up in the forecast years due to the region's growing population, infrastructural development, economic expansion, urbanisation, and industrialization. Utility firms in China with extensive infrastructure are aiming to replace human inspectors with drones.

Drone inspection for oil and gas is also highly motivated in the country. In order to facilitate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone activities in the area, government is also developing and modifying drone rules. Service providers have also begun using drones for inspection in the utility industry in China. Due to all these factors, China market is expected to reach the valuation of US$ 25.2 million in 2023.

Category-wise Insights

Why Deployment by Rotary Wing UAV Inspection Type are High?

In terms of type, the global inspection drone market has been classified into fixed wing, rotary wing, and hybrid. The rotary wing segment is likely to dominate the global inspection drone market with 53.7% share in 2023. The segment is expected to reach the valuation of US$ 114.3 million in 2023.

Rotary drones can take off and land vertically; as a result, they are used in applications that call for line-of-sight inspection. The majority of nations throughout the world permit the operation of drones in the operator's line of sight in accordance with the legislative frameworks. As a result, demand for rotary inspection UAVs has greatly increased.

These drones are also frequently utilized for shorter flight distances and shorter flight times. As a result, the market for drone infrastructure inspection is growing due to the increased use of rotary wing drones for commercial and industrial applications.

Why Remotely Piloted Segment for UAV Inspection Market is Expected to Lead the Market Growth?

The most widely preferred mode of operation will be remotely piloted mode throughout the assessment period. The segment is likely to reach 64.4% of market value share in 2023. There is a lot of potential for the drone market to grow as a result of rising public interest in UAV inspection in both developed and developing nations. Even though they are not always required, remotely piloted drones are thought to be necessary to inspect without exposing the inspector to risk.

The number of drones with a remotely piloted operation mode has thus, increased in deployment. Additionally, the use of remotely piloted drones for recreational activities has been a significant contributor to its market growth.

Competitive Landscape

UAV inspection service providers are Applus+, Dexon Technology PLC, DJM Aerial Solutions, Equinox's Drones, FlyWorx Drone & Media Services, FORCE technology, Intertek Group plc, Maverick Inspection Ltd, MISTRAS Group, Sky Futures.

Service providers are focusing on highly scalable and customized inspection services to meet clients’ specific requirements. Service provider needs the deployment is very best industrial-grade UAV inspection equipment, which is operated by experienced and highly skilled pilots to provide clients with more efficient and safer inspection solutions.

• In July 2022, Global innovative technology company Nexxis acquired the assets of Interactive Aerial (IA), a world leader in internal inspection robotics. The deal makes Nexxis an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and builds on the company’s market leading capability in asset integrity for the mining, renewables, energy, transport, construction and defense industries.

Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the service cost and end user spending of key service providers of UAV inspection positioned across regions, deployment growth, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report.

Segmentation of UAV Inspection Industry Research

• By Type :

  • Fixed Wing
  • Rotary Wing
  • Hybrid Wing

• By Operation Mode :

  • Remotely Piloted
  • Optionally Piloted
  • Fully Autonomous

• By End Use :

  • Agriculture & Forestry
  • Delivery & Logistics
  • Media & Entertainment
  • Construction & Mining
  • Oil & Gas
  • Security & Law Enforcement
  • Recreational Activity
  • Others

• By Region :

  • North America
  • Latin America
  • Europe
  • East Asia
  • South Asia & Oceania
  • MEA