A New Era Takes Flight

The Unmanned Traffic Management system (UTM) is the framework that will enable the future of autonomy. It’s designed to enable safe and efficient low-altitude UAV operations, it’s a system of systems unifying stakeholder data from regulatory agencies like the FAA, from communication networks, data service providers, drone operators, radar surveillance, navigation & weather applications, advanced operations providers, iOT, and more, creating a new, advanced air space management network. The global UTM market, already valued at about US $538 million in 2018, is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 20 percent during the period 2019–2025. Aerospace and Aviation organizations have taken notice and are already investing millions in, or developing in-house these networks and advanced applications.


Today, drones cannot fly Beyond the Line of Visual Site (BVLOS), over people, or at night, without specific exemptions and waivers from the FAA. To enable ‘last mile delivery’, meaning a package or plasma delivered to the doorstep, a drone must fly in most cases over people, beyond the visual line of site and in some cases at night. It may also be flying in a city with structural obstacles, or around terrain that can’t be identified. While the potential of autonomous mobility certainly lies in the infrastructure, the economic impact will be felt in its applications. Ecommerce, first responders, oil & gas, solar, and wind sectors will all realize opportunities and cost savings from these kind of advanced applications. A last mile delivery is enabled once it can fly beyond the line of sight, or over people. According to McKinsey & Company, autonomous vehicles including drones will deliver close to 100 percent of X2C and 80 percent of all items.

The autonomous mobility industry today is moving rapidly and is expected to see strong growth over the next few decades. The increase in adoption of advanced applications and new regulations will further boost the market. The industry is poised quite literally to take off.