Although air taxis in the U.S. are still at least a few years off, small commercial drones - remotely controlled unmanned aircraft - have a strong foothold and their repair and maintenance infrastructure is already taking shape. Driving their growth is their versatility - they are entering applications such as cargo delivery, surveillance, agriculture, oil and gas, public safety, construction, insurance, mapping, and logistics. The FAA has engaged with the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) industry and has given many operators provisional approvals to fly vehicles. As of February 2020, the agency had registered 436,836 commercial drones. Technavio predicts the commercial drone market will reach $20.4 billion by 2024. According to ResearchAndMarkets. com, the drone package delivery sector, alone, is expected to hit $2.1 billion in value by 2023. As volume expands, drone manufacturers, distributors, traditional maintenance shops, and insurance companies are focusing on the aftermarket. In this nascent industry, however, drone manufacturers are the heavy hitters, as they control the intellectual property and the supply of components necessary for repair and maintenance. Robotic Skies, a network of more than 190 independently owned and operated Part 145 repair stations worldwide that work on UAS as well as traditional aircraft, boasts strong relationships with high-end UAS manufacturers like the Australian company, Carbonix.
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