New drone strategies
On 29.11.2022, the European Commission announced its Drone Strategy 2.0. It wants to offer the European drone market new opportunities and further developments not only to make the use of drones commonplace, but also to create the world's most advanced safety framework.
Previous use of drones
In the European Union, drones have mostly only been used for smaller tasks. They have mainly been used for surveying infrastructure, monitoring oil spills and soil sampling. Sometimes drones have also been used to transport small medical supplies such as laboratory samples. There is still room for improvement in drone strategies. This is now set to change.
From the introduction of U-Space, the dedicated airspace for drones, in January 2023, the whole topic of drones is set to become part of everyday life for many people. Drones will then no longer be used solely by the military or for smaller purposes, but also for more commercial projects.
Strategies for drones in everyday life until 2030
In its Drone Strategies 2.0, the European Commission also describes its vision of the drone market in 2030, by which time drones will be performing important tasks for the general public.
Civilian drones will then be part of the emergency services. They will deliver medicines and may already be able to transport patients. They will also help with mapping, inspections and other monitoring. Flight operations should also be fully automated by then. Drones will then also act as so-called air cabs and transport people from A to B.
The Commission has come up with strategies to turn these ideas into reality. The training of pilots for the various types of drones and especially VTOLs will be renewed and expanded. In order to bring the European drone market into a commercial environment, an online platform for stakeholders and for the sustainable air mobility industry is also to be introduced. Furthermore, a strategic drone technology roadmap will enable a precise and independent organization of research and innovation.
The synergy between the civilian and military use of drones should also result in drone defense solutions for security. The Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, estimates that European drone services will be worth a total of 14.5 billion euros by 2030 and provide around 145,000 jobs.
