无人机行业价值几何？

    无人机产业由于得到美国政府的大力扶持，已然十分发达。本轮全美无人机发展热潮正是建立在这一基础上。过去十年间，由五角大楼采购，供美国军方部署到伊拉克和阿富汗战场上的成千上万的小型无人机中，大部分都是由位于加州的航空环境公司蒙罗维亚（Monrovia）提供的。这家公司因此生意兴隆。不过去年该公司又推出一款名为Qube quadrotor的无人机，是它首款专供执法和应急机构使用的小型无人机。而过去18个月中，其他国防领域的公司也在忙于开发或收购小型无人机技术，主要是因为它们预计美国的无人机市场将迎来大发展。对此联邦航空局预计，2020年末，全美将增加3万架无人机。

    上述情况都表明，如果AUVSI这份报告确实指明了某种方向——而业内人士和政府部门似乎都认为它确实比较靠谱——美国的天空很快就会变得拥挤不堪。而无人机市场也将热闹非凡。（财富中文网）

    译者：清远

    This domestic drone boom would rest on the bedrock of an already thriving UAS industry largely bankrolled by the U.S. government. Monrovia, Calif.-based AeroVironment, for instance, does a brisk business outfitting the Pentagon with the majority of the tens of thousands of small UAS fielded by U.S. troops in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade, but last year unveiled its Qube quadrotor, the company's first small UAS specifically targeted at law enforcement and first-response applications. Others in the defense space have likewise been busy developing and acquiring small UAS technologies over the past 18 months, largely in anticipation of the development of a domestic drone marketplace that the FAA predicts will add 30,000 UAS to American skies by decade's end.

    All of that is to say that if the AUVSI report is any indication -- and those in both industry and government seem to think it has some merits -- the skies over America will soon be a very crowded place. As will the UAS marketplace.