More drones in the skies raise a number of new safety concerns, ranging from collisions and crashes to cyber-attacks and terrorism, according to the latest risk report from Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS): Rise of the Drones: Managing the Unique Risks Associated with Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
“There have already been enough incidents and near-misses to date involving UAS to generate concern that the likelihood of collisions and other loss events will grow as numbers multiply,” says James Van Meter, an Aviation Practice Leader at AGCS.
As drones become smaller, cheaper and easier to use – and regulatory change, particularly in the U.S., lowers barriers to entry – growth prospects are surging: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forecasts that by the end of 2016 over 600,000 UAS will be deployed for commercial use alone in the U.S. – three times the number of registered manned aircraft.
In addition, 1.9 million UAS are expected to be in recreational use. Globally, the UAS market is forecast to reach 4.7 million units, or higher, by 2020 with the market for commercial application of UAS technology estimated to soar from $2 billion to $127 billion.
Source: www.agprofessional.com