It was not so long ago that unmanned aviation vehicles seemed to be science fiction, but today they are everywhere around us. Extensively used in different spheres of life and across various industries, they serve a broad range of functions, from securing land and maritime borders and searching for an inaccessible military base to monitoring environmental safety and even carrying out deliveries.
Driven by the rapid evolvement of state-of-the-art technologies, the unmanned aeronautics sector is constantly developing to respond to a plethora of new demands, at the same time growing ever more competitive. Let’s take a look at the latest industry trends and find out what great new technologies we can witness in 2020.
Why UAS Is The Best Term
Also known as Unmanned Aircraft (UAs), Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs), Miniature Pilotless Aircrafts, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), they are usually referred to as drones.
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However, it is safe to say, the term UAS is considered being the most all-embracing. Short for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, it represents exactly what it says on the tin – a complex system that comprises a UAV, ground station controlled by a pilot, plus a wide spectrum of communications, support, and other equipment.
2020 Innovative Solutions
Amid significant advancements in both the underlying technology and ancillary functions, the UAS industry has replenished its already high-tech arsenal with a number of upgrades that literally take the whole story to the next level. The current standards provide for expanding mission capabilities, significantly enhanced operability, reliability, as well as efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
In 2020, the top-tier companies boast comprehensive portfolios packed with a host of systems able to deliver superb performance in different environments.
Experts from CP Aeronautics explain that depending on the operational challenge, a certain UAS-based solution can be tailored to meet the customer’s specific requirements, ensuring the full success of the mission. The assortment of available high-tech wonders is truly diverse, ranging from small tethered aerostat-based sensors monitoring specific points of interest to wide-area land and maritime surveillance systems.
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What’s more,the sophisticated approach to the idea of UAS allows customers to get a complete range of subsystems including air vehicles, inertial navigation, and avionics, electro-optical payloads (EO), communications, propulsion systems, launch and retrieval systems, command-and-control units at one place.
On the other side, as it becomes less and less expensive to customize commercial UAVs, all chances are we’ll soon see them in a broad range of niches, performing ordinary day-to-day tasks, from monitoring the situation on the roads to quick deliveries at rush hour.
Even though current technologies leveraged across the industry can be safely described as next-generation, there is plenty of room to go further. The great bulk of top-notch products in the market can brag not only of 360° gimbals, multi-payload capability, and transformative designs but also high airspace awareness, as well as intelligent piloting and fully automated safety modes.
The UAS Industry Trends
Already large and worth about 8 billion dollars, the UAS industry is growing at the lightning speed and is expected to hit a 12 billion mark at the end of 2020. Geographically speaking, the current year sees the North America region as the biggest player on the global scene, mainly thanks to the presence of major manufacturers of unmanned aviation vehicles and their focus on ground-breaking technologies.
It is estimated that boosted by a range of favorable government initiatives and increased funding of border surveillance and maritime activities, the market in North America is destined to flourish in the near future.
In addition to that, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released new regulations aimed to provide more clear-cut guidelines regarding the legality and safety of UAV operations in commercial spaces.
The Asia-Pacific region, however, doesn’t lag behind its main competitor, ready to show off a significant growth, powered by increasing adoption of automation and innovative technologies, especially in Japan and China. By the way, the world’s most populous country is projected to become the fastest-growing market in the forthcoming years.
Naturally, the civil and commercial segments are the ones to experience the strongest expansion as a response to wider applications of drones across a variety of sectors, with agriculture, media, and entertainment, wildlife, and forestry, or insurance, to name just a few.
The next step for the manufacturers is to reach complete commercial suitability, seen as the key to future growth. According to experts, we can count on a full platform and payload interchangeability, further enhancement of intelligent piloting models, and airspace awareness. Based on what we know, the future looks bright!