The war in Ukraine has shown the value of drones on the battlefield. It has also led to many companies trying to get a piece of the pie of the autonomous part of growing defense budgets. OneDhierin runs the investing group The Aerospace Forum , whose goal is to discover investment opportunities in the aerospace, defense and airline industry. With a background in aerospace engineering, he provides analysis of a complex industry with significant growth prospects, and offers context to developments as they occ ...

Industry Overview - The global drone market is projected to reach US$57.8 billion by 2030, up from an estimated US$40.6 billion in 2025, indicating significant growth across various industries [1] - The commercial service market is the largest segment, expected to generate US$29.4 billion by 2025, followed by commercial hardware at US$6.7 billion and commercial software at US$1.7 billion [1] - The total number of drone flights globally increased by 25% in 2024, rising from 15.5 million to 19.5 million flights [2] Regional Insights - North America and Asia are leading in drone usage, with Europe closely following, while Latin America and Africa are experiencing accelerated growth due to improved local ecosystems and drone accessibility [2] - Asia recorded the highest number of drone flights in 2024 at 6.3 million, followed by North America with 3.9 million and Europe with 3.8 million [2] Company Developments - ZenaTech, Inc. is set to showcase its Drone as a Service (DaaS) and AI drone innovations at two major investor conferences in May 2025 [3] - Ambarella, Inc. has achieved a milestone of 30 million cumulative units shipped and is demonstrating its generative AI capabilities at the ISC West security expo [4][5] - AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. demonstrated its eBee VISION drone at a military symposium, highlighting its operational advantages for military applications [7][8] - Ondas Holdings Inc. secured a US$3.2 million purchase order from a UAE governmental entity to expand its urban autonomous drone infrastructure [9]