These are 44 of the major players in the fast-rising and rapidly consolidating global commercial drone industry

A growing ecosystem of drone software and hardware vendors is already catering to a long list of clients in agriculture, land management, energy, and construction. Many of the vendors are smallish private companies and startups - although large defense-focused companies and industrial conglomerates are beginning to invest in drone technology, too.

In the most recent in-depth report on drones from BI Intelligence, we provide a list and brief profiles of dozens of civilian/commercial drone-systems and aircraft vendors that have come to prominence in recent years. This list is not comprehensive. (One market-research outfit, IBISWorld, has counted more than 60 UAV vendors operating in the US alone.)

• 3D Robotics
• Aerialtronics
• Aeryon Labs
• Airware
• Altavian
• Amazon Prime Air
• Ascending Technologies
• Aeronavics
• AeroVironment
• CybAero
• DJI
• Dreamhammer
• EHANG
• Facebook
• Finmeccanica
• Google
• GoPro
• Gryphon Dynamics
• Hexo+
• Honeywell
• Indra
• Insitu
• Joby Aviation
• Kespry
• Matternet
• Microdrones
• Parrot
• PrecisionHawk
• Schiebel
• SenseFly
• Sky-Futures
• Skycatch
• Skydio
• Skyspecs
• SkyWard
• Verifly
• Zano
• Well-known defense contractors: Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Textron, Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Elbit, and Aeronautics LTD.

In full, the report:

• Shows how the drone industry has begun to see some consolidation and major investments from large industrial conglomerates, chip companies, and defense contractors.
• Identifies the industries that will be the most promising target markets for drone tech vendors
• Explains why technology barriers are at once a roadblock and a huge business opportunity.
• Delves into how many of the notable early commercial UAV manufacturers are emerging outside of the US market
  
• Contains two detailed tables listing all the US companies already authorized to fly drones commercially, the brand/model of UAVs they'll use, and the applications they're supporting
• Details the implications of the FAA's new proposed rules for commercial drones
• Explores the top applications for commercial drones and why they have emerged as niches friendly to UAV technology
• Lists the high-level attributes of UAV systems and hardware, and why there are certain obstacles that remain difficult
• Contains charts on commercial-drone market size, FAA exemptions, and direct economic impact

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