In 2020, as in previous years, the number of drones listed worldwide, across all sectors, followed an exponential growth curve.
The main manufacturers are still Chinese companies for civilian drones (recreational and professional) and American companies for military drones. These two countries together account for more than 801 TP3Ts on the global market (source: StatistaIt is interesting to note that the Chinese company DJI generated 2.7 billion in revenue in 2017 (source: Forbes), representing almost 70% of the civil drone market.
It must be admitted that the class of drones DJI Phantom is a true commercial success. This aircraft holds the top spot among the most used aircraft on every continent. For example, nine out of ten most declared commercial drones drones from the DJI brand were registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in 2015 (source: Statista).
But then, what place is left for French manufacturers in this highly competitive market?
French manufacturers are trying to establish themselves in this promising but highly competitive market. Since 2012, around ten manufacturers have emerged.
The most emblematic example is undoubtedly Parrot, which, by focusing primarily on the recreational drone market with products like Bebop, Mambo, and Anafi, made a major strategic error (a drop in revenue from €326 million to €259 million, representing a decrease of over 2013 TEUs between 2015 and 2016) (source: Frenchweb) combined with a very low net margin per drone.
All our French champions quickly turned to the professional civilian drone sector. Most manufacturers, initially generalists, successfully specialized in this area.
We could, among other things, mention Azur Drone, which, after suffering from a poorly defined industrial strategy, now offers an attractive product in the security sector, or even Delta Drone, specializing today in the field of data acquisition "aerial photography" for mapping or inspection.
But then, why is this specialization a key factor in success?
A professional drone is a vehicle that carries a payload.
To meet the needs of data acquisition system manufacturers, it is essential to be able to adapt the vector (the drone) to the increasingly complex peripherals they develop, which often requires compliance with increasingly stringent constraints (mass, stability, maneuverability, etc.).
Developing a general-purpose vector compatible with all these new devices is becoming increasingly expensive. By developing specific vectors, French manufacturers can offer a highly competitive product to rival the major players in a very niche market.
It is now clear, and the figures speak for themselves, that the future of French manufacturers lies in specializing their target sector. Their R&D must be guided by the evolution of data acquisition systems (multispectral cameras, etc.) and by the integration of data analysis software packages dedicated to sensors and natively incorporating the aircraft's flight data (time stamp, spatial position, angle of view, etc.).
In conclusion
Data acquisition system manufacturers are not clearly positioning themselves in the drone manufacturing market. Yet, combining data acquisition with flight characteristics could create value.
