Commercialization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Prospects and Challenges in the Second Decade of the 21st Century
Commercialization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Prospects and Challenges in the Second Decade of the 21st Century

Summary/Abstract: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are fulfilling increasingly important roles in the economies of countries around the world, providing a more economical and convenient tool for performing tasks that are dangerous to humans or during which the use of specialized equipment is expensive and/or inefficient. The subject of the provided research in this article is the process of commercialization of UAVs and the opportunities and challenges associated with its implementation. The purpose of this article is to identify the most important prospects and challenges facing the UAV industry in the second decade of the 21st century. The main research problem was formulated in the form of a question: What are the most important opportunities and challenges related to the commercialization process of UAVs in the second decade of the 21st century? The article reveals the issues that determine the most important trends in the operation of unmanned aircraft and the opportunities and challenges associated with their commercialization in the context of aviation safety in Poland and Europe. An additional purpose of this paper is to fill the gap in the collection of scientific studies devoted to the subject matter. From an analysis of the available literature, it appears that among scientific studies, there is a lack of those that address the subject matter discussed in this publication within the proposed scope. The observed increase in interest in UAVs—from companies offering specialized services using them, scientists using UAVs for research, and private users—makes it important to analyze the latest trends in UAV development and the challenges facing the aeronautical industry in this area. This applies especially to the areas of the use of UAVs, alternative methods of powering them, and commercial operations using UAVs. The main conclusion of the study is that the development of unmanned aircraft systems services, supported by a competitive sector, can greatly promote Europe’s double transition to a green and digital economy, as well as contribute to the EU economy’s post-COVID-19 recovery and future resilience. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles have the potential to become facilitators of our economic and social lives, in addition to a driving force in the growing digitalization of the European economy, from daily commuting to product delivery.

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