Study Suggests Commercial Drones Realize ROI in One Year or Less

A 2018 study by Skyward technologies, showcases a dazzling future for the commercial drone industry. It’s one rife with global growth and opportunity across multiple industries.

According to the studies findings, one in 10 companies with revenues of $50 million or more use drones today. Even more impressive is that 92% of those companies experienced a positive ROI on their drone investment in just one year — and in some cases less.

Adoption rates vary from industry to industry, with construction and engineering leading the pack, followed by government applications.

“In the last two years since the FAA passed Part 107, we’ve seen drone use accelerate across small businesses and multinational firms, and watched our customers build drone programs into sophisticated operations that increase efficiency, worker safety, and access to data,” said Mariah Scott, President, Skyward

Key Findings

1. About half of surveyed respondents reported that their company’s bottom line would suffer if their company did not use drones.

2. A majority of respondents realized a positive ROI on their investment in one year or less.

3. Drone adoption is highest in the construction and engineering industry, followed by government.

4. Four in five companies expect their drone flights to increase year over year.

5. Three in four expect to increase spending on their drone program over the next 12 months

To learn more visit www.appliedaeronautics.com

Advantages of Fixed Wing UAV vs. Rotary Wing

The Albatross UAV from Applied Aeronautics

UAV aircraft can be distilled into two categories, fixed wing and, rotary wing. Today we’ll be addressing fixed-wing platforms, which we believe offer significant advantages in most commercial applications.

1. Increased Operational Efficiency: Fixed-wing platforms are more operationally efficient than quadcopters. This translates into longer flight times, extended range and consequently more ground covered per mission. Where the average quadcopter can get around 15-25 minutes of flight time, fixed wing systems gets anywhere from 1-5 hrs, making them better suited to missions with extensive data collection needs as well as long-range ISR, search and rescue support and emergency management. 

2. Better Aerodynamic Performance: Fixed wing systems also offer better aerodynamic performance and are only marginally influenced by environmental conditions so they can accomplish missions in high winds making them well suited for use in a range of environments. 

3. Greater Payload Versatility: Fixed-wing platforms are capable of carrying far greater payloads for longer distances than quadcopters. This allows the end user to carry more and bigger sensors as well as twin sensor configurations and vital supplies for things like search and rescue missions, humanitarian projects. etc.

For more information on long-range fixed wing platforms, check out the Albatross UAV at AppliedAeronautics.com