Drone wars to hit new heights in 2016 as global market expected to double, with wider applications

Chinese makers of civilian drones expect the global market to double in size annually for the next few years at least as the gadgets find new applications.

DJI, which controls over 70 per cent of the world market for commercial drones, recorded a strong performance in 2015 but expects to do even better in 2016.

Other drone makers also based in Shenzhen, in southern China’s Guangdong province, seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet. The city is responsible for the majority of global drone shipments.

Many of these small - and not so small - start-ups are expecting to cash in as the industry continues to innovate and uses for drones are found in more fields. DJI already has a valuation in excess of US$10 billion.

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Manufacturers in Shenzhen exported civilian drones worth a total of 2.3 billion yuan (US$354 million) from January to October, marking a more than 10-fold expansion from the same period in 2014.

“We have grown three to five times year-on-year in terms of revenue, and that trend ran from 2009 until last year. We are very optimistic that such growth will continue in the coming years,” said DJI spokesman Wang Fan.