Leigh Miller from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
A newly released market survey by AIRT and DRONERESPONDERS reveals that DJI continues to dominate the public safety sector, holding more than 90% of the market share: while Autel Robotics holds the number 2 position.
The research was performed by Airborne International Response Team (AIRT), the leading 501(c)3 non-profit organization supporting the use of unmanned systems for public safety and disaster response – and official home of DRONERESPONDERS.
Data collected via the AIRT + DRONERESPONDERS 2021 Public Safety UAS Survey conducted from July 15-31 shows that when asked “which of the following brand(s) of UAS does your public safety agency or organization currently operate (check all the apply),” 90.36% (422 of the 467 respondents to the question) claimed to be operating DJI drones as part of their fleet.
When looking at additional segments within the data set, the numbers for DJI increase to 92.06% of law enforcement UAS programs and 92.47% of major city public safety UAS programs (representing a jurisdiction with a population of 500K people or greater) saying they operate DJI.
The Competition: the Top 5 Brands in the Public Safety Sector
Autel Robotics, an American company headquartered in Bothell, Washington that is owned by Autel Intelligent Technology – also based in Shenzhen, China, is in the second place as of 2021, with 18.84% (88) of public safety UAS departments surveyed operating Autel drones within their fleet. “Additionally, 21.16% of law enforcement drone programs and 21.51% of major cities drone programs say they are flying Autel,” says the AIRT research press release.
CA-based Skydio comes in next, at 11.35%; French company Parrot comes in at 9.85%; and Teledyne FLIR products follow closely at 9.21%.
When looking at the law enforcement segment, the number for Skydio drops to 10.05%, while Parrot’s percentage climbs slightly to match Skydio at 10.05%. FLIR edges up slightly to 9.52%…..The major cities data segment shows both Skydio and Parrot increasing to 16.13% and 11.83% respectively, while FLIR plummets to 6.45%.
What the Data Means for Drone Manufacturers
“The data makes it rather clear that price point and technological capabilities continue to be the driving factors for public safety agencies operating drones, “ said Christopher Todd, Executive Director for AIRT and lead analyst on the survey. “Despite all the recent bluster surrounding country of orgin and the “Blue UAS” initiative, DJI remains the King of the Hill with Autel making noticeable headway in capturing the number two position with public safety users.”
“Is it just a coincidence that when you place a DJI Mavic 2 series next to an Autel Robotics EVO II you can see they share almost identical body styles?” Todd asks. “These aircraft are being manufactured by a proven and successful ecosystem — country, city, even factory.”
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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