ExecuJet Adds UAV Services In Africa

ExecuJet has announced the addition of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) services at its African facilities in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Lagos.

UAVs will form an integral part of ExecuJet's operations, enabling clients to carry out inspections, surveys, mapping and photography in greater detail. ExecuJet will be able to deploy UAVs to any location on the continent, as required by its customers.

Gavin Kiggen, Director, Aviation Africa, ExecuJet, says: "The market for drone technology in the commercial sector has been increasing in recent years and is expected to grow at a rate of 19%+ between 2017 and 2020, as the technology becomes more widely utilised. Whilst attending the Drone Con conference, it emerged from research done by Dr Roelof Botha that in South Africa, the drone market is expected to create 24,000+ jobs by as early as the end of 2018, contributing R2b+ to the economy. UAVs can be used in various ways, from wind turbine inspections and crop monitoring, to covering sporting events and filming for television and movies. Industry experts believe that Africa is one of the most progressive regions when it comes to drone technology."

Teal Group: 2014 UAVs integrated market study

"Our coverage of the civil UAV market continues to grow with each annual report, mirroring the gradual increase in the civil market itself" said Philip Finnegan, Teal Group's director of corporate analysis and an author of the study. "Our 2014 UAV study calculates the UAV market at 89% military, 11% civil cumulative for the decade, with the numbers shifting to 86% military and 14% civil by the end of the 10-year forecast." he added.

Teal Group analysts, in their 2014 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) integrated market study, estimate that UAV spending will nearly double over the next decade from current worldwide UAV expenditures of $5.7 billion annually to $9.9 billion, totaling just over $77 billion in the next ten years. The new study covers more than 40 U.S., European, South African and Israeli companies, and reveals the fundamental reshaping of the industrial environment as UAV technology proliferates worldwide.

"The Teal Group study predicts that the US will account for 65% of the worldwide RDT&E spending on UAV technology over the next decade, and 53% of the procurement," said Teal Group senior analyst Steve Zaloga, another author of the study. Regarding payloads "The overall UAV electronics market will continue to be the world's fastest-growing aerospace payload market, but not through continued growth of 'the usual suspects' from the past decade," said Dr. David Rockwell, author of the electronics portion. The study also includes a UAV Manufacturers Market Overview that reflects the worldwide UAV market: "Again continuing as one of the prime areas of growth for defense and aerospace companies, the UAV market continues to evolve and become an increasingly global market," said Philip Finnegan. 

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