This week’s “Around the Commercial Drone Industry” news round-up looks at new growth projections for the commercial UAV sector, the introduction of a long-range, hydrogen-powered drone in South Korea, and the promise of using drones to aid in emergency operations in New York City.

Report Projects Big Gains for the Commercial UAV Industry

According to a Global Newswire press release, a SNS Insider Research report values the consumer drone market at USD 5.20 Billion in 2023. The report projects the market to “reach USD 15.78 Billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 13.15% during the forecast period of 2024-2032.” According to the release, growth has been driven by “technological advancement as well as cost efficiency and the scope for several applications.” The SNS Insider Research study says these, and other factors, will continue to spur the commercial drone market, and it “predicts a need for about 12,700 new job offers per year” in the industry.

Hydrogen-Powered Drone Flies for 14 Hours

The South Korean company Hogreen Air has introduced “a high-speed, long-range hydrogen fuel cell drone” that can conduct long-duration surveillance and reconnaissance operations. An article in UAS Weekly detailed how the drone, which features “radio frequency and an LTE/5G communication system,” can carry a payload of 10kp and fly for up to 14 hours. Recently, the vehicle flew “remotely in Germany, while its operators were located nearly 5,778 miles away in South Korea.” Also, the drone “flew autonomously in the US, 5,618 miles from the drone’s operators in South Korea.”

Can Drones Help NYC Cope with a Massive Hurricane?

A piece in Heatmap explored the issues surrounding the use of drones in New York City in the event of a natural disaster, like 2012’s Hurricane Sandy. The author points out that many city residents are skeptical, even hostile, to UAV technology, but experts believe that “eventually the questions and suspicious looks will start to taper off.” As the author asserted, “The NYPD and FDNY already use drones in their everyday operations throughout the city; companies like Amazon have also started exploring the use of drones to deliver packages. Drones will become increasingly commonplace as the years wear on. Boring, even! So of course they’ll be used during extreme weather events, too.”