We love our city of Marseille, but even more than that, we love being out at sea, flying our drones around all kinds of boats, including yachts, sailing boats in regattas, old riggers, cruise ships, oil tankers or semi-submersibles, not forgetting semi-rigid boats and even the houseboats used for river cruises! This page reflects our long experience in this field.
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When DJI put sense and avoid technology in its DJI Phantom 4 back in August 2016, it blew minds. Such smart technology in a consumer drone seemed unheard of. Fast-forward less than 10 years later, and you can find such technology in drones under $500. Even $1,000 drones have multiple sensors that can detect objects at all angles. So what’s next for detect and avoid technology. Companies like Vigilant Aerospace aren’t stopping there.
No, they’re pushing the limits of drone detect and avoid technology further.
This summer, Vigilant Aerospace shared an update on a half-million dollar project that it’s working on with the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) and the US Economic Development Administration. Together, they’re seeking to built an even more advanced detect-and-avoid and airspace management system using a Vigilant Aerospace software called FlightHorizon.
FlightHorizon software was built out of ideas from two NASA patents, and its data sources include aircraft transponders, radar, drone autopilots, and live FAA data. The system is unique in that it integrates three different models and types of radar simultaneously, theoretically offering wider area coverage. That’s critical in enabling a future of drone flight corridors (or drone superhighways, as some call them) and even drone ports, like those seen in the United Arab Emirates that are effectively airports for drones (including human-carrying drones referred to as air taxis).
The three types of radar at hand are:
That last system, the DeTect 7360 is especially standout as a new type of radar technology with a detection diameter of 14 kilometers and 360-degree coverage. In fact, FlightHorizon is the first integrated detect-and-avoid and airspace management system in the world to utilize this new 3D, digital radar.
Additional integrated data sources include receipt of ADS-B transponder messages, autopilot integration, live FAA SWIM air traffic data, live weather radar from NWS, air navigation charts and many other data layers.
So what’s the big deal about all of this?
“Demonstrating these capabilities is the first step in validating that the system meets with industry technical standards including the RTCA DO-365C standard for detect-and-avoid systems for larger UAS and the ASTM F3442/F3442M-23 standard for detect-and-avoid for small UAS aircraft,” according to a statement from Vigilant Aerospace.
For now, the radar test is exactly that — a test. But the test is extensive, and comprehensive. The Vigilant Aerospace tests use a mix of aircraft including multi-rotor drones, fixed-wing drones and small piloted Cessna aircraft.
“The goal of the mix of aircraft is to test and document both the detection ranges of the various radars and the effectiveness of the entire system in providing multi-sensor, distributed detect-and-avoid,” according to a statement from Vigilant Aerospace.
The hotbed testing ground is in Oklahoma, at the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST). That site is the state’s agency for technology-based economic development efforts, and is also affiliated with Oklahoma State University.
The team in May 2024 received a $500,000 grant. That was part of a larger $1 million project centered around developing a distributed version of its detect-and-avoid system. A competitive program called the Oklahoma Applied Research Support (OARS) issued the grant. The grant’s goal is to support businesses developing innovations and technologies that create new jobs and diversify Oklahoma’s economy. It also has backing from the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) as part of the $38.2 million Build Back Better grant awarded to a Tulsa-based coalition to support new aerospace initiatives in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma is also home to Skyway36, which is being billed as a droneport (aka an airport for drones). With that comes an indoor, state-of-the-art drone test facility. Then there’s a 3,000-foot runway for larger, fixed-wing drones. And yes, Vigilant Aerospaces provides the droneport’s airspace management and UTM system.
Other big superhighways out there to know beyond Oklahoma include one in New York. There’s also one in the southeast of the United Kingdom.
What do today’s tests mean for the drone industry in the future? Powerful sense and avoid systems make it possible for drones and drone ports to cover larger operating areas. Smarter radar would allow airspace to get busier without compromising safety.
“With technology evolving rapidly in this space, it is important that we integrate and test the latest sensors in a rigorous way, and these live field and flight tests with general aviation aircraft are the best way to test real-world performance and prove out real-world safety,” said Kraettli Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace.
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Ukrainian forces have uncovered the secret Russian-made Volnorez counter-drone electronic warfare system in Russia’s Kursk region. The discovery reveals that the system was found in its original factory packaging, complete with a technical brochure. The Volnorez (Breakwater) counter-UAS jammer, first unveiled to the public at the Russian Army Expo in 2023, has now been actively […]
– Georgia Power is now deploying unmanned aerial systems, or drones, to inspect transmission power lines, helping ensure the safety and reliability of these main lines more efficiently and with greater accuracy than ever before. This innovative approach not only enhances operational efficiency, reducing the amount of time to inspect transmission lines by 40% on […]
The U.S. Navy recently installed the world’s first Unmanned Air Warfare Center (UAWC) aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), where Air Vehicle Pilots (AVPs) will control future MQ-25 Stingray airborne operations. This major installation was a multi-year effort coordinated across multiple ship availability periods and the ship’s deployment schedule. The CVN-based control room, known […]
BRINC, a supplier of drone technology for first responders, has announced a partnership with Echodyne, a manufacturer of ground-based radar systems. This collaboration will integrate Echodyne’s advanced MESA radar technology into BRINC’s purpose-built Drone as First Responder (DFR) solution. The strategic relationship enables a path toward beyond-visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations without visual observers, […]
NASA recently gathered representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), police and fire departments, and commercial industry to figure out how to take an important step for public safety drones: allowing them to fly past where their operators can see them. Currently, most drone operations are limited to areas known as “visual line of sight” […]Dropla Tech Aps Aims to Reduce Costs and Time for Landmine Clearance with Innovative Technology A Danish-Ukrainian startup, Dropla Tech Aps, is developing cutting-edge robotics and drone technology to expedite demining operations in Ukraine. The company, co-founded by Ukrainian entrepreneur V’yacheslav Shvaidak, is working to make landmine clearance faster, safer, and more cost-effective. With the […]
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Between all the summer holidays including Juneteenth, Pride and Independence Day, there’s a good chance you saw some fireworks in America over the past month or two. If you were lucky, you saw a drone show. But if you think the U.S. is the biggest spender on drone shows, think again. The countries that currently spend the most money on drone shows might surprise you.
SPH Engineering, which builds drone show technology and is also behind the annual International Drone Show Competition, just put out a study that sheds light and which countries spend the most money on drone shows — and more specifically what types of groups are actually commissioning them.
Their report, called the “Drone Show Market Analysis,” was made in June 2024 in collaboration with market research group Duamentes Global Alliance based on data from 1,000 drone shows across 62 countries.
They found that, as of summer 2024, the global drone show market is worth $338.99 million — but it’s growing. The U.S. spends big money often, and that’s certainly true in terms of drone shows, with North America making up $84.15 million of the total global drone show figure. Europe follows with $66.19 million of the share, followed by the Asia Pacific region at $15.19 million.
Here’s what % of overall drone shows that each region accounts for:
SPH Engineering put that data — and more — together, in a handy infographic (which you can download in full here):
In terms of dollar spent per show, the U.S. is far from the highest. In fact, it’s among the lowest.
Instead, the country that spends the most per show is China, where the average drone show costs $114,564. Also in the top three in terms of highest price per show? The Middle East/North Africa region, which spends on average $112,250 per show, and India which spends $91,700 per show.
In Europe, the average drone show costs $42,034. In the Latin America region, the average drone show costs just $25,550. That’s just 22% of what they’re spending over in China.
Why are shows so much more expensive in China, the Middle East and India? In short, they’re larger and grander. In China, an average of 660 drones are used per show. And that’s just an average, suggesting that some drone shows have far more than that. For context, the record for largest drone show happened in Korea, where UVify put on an artistic drone show featuring 5,293 of its IFO drones.
In the U.S., drone shows just aren’t as big. That’s in part because the U.S. has a proliferation of drone show startups — in turn meaning shows that are smaller and more homemade in style. The average drone show in North America uses just 218 drones.
Heck, this drone light show kit can give you what you need to put on your own, personal drone show for just $10,000. In another example, the largest drone show I’ve seen in-person – a Star Wars drone show by Sky Elements — had just 500 drones. Sky Elements says their show prices start at $15,000 for smaller shows.
In general, the cost of a drone show is tied directly to how many drones are used. Sure, there are some other (relatively) minor costs like permitting, travel to the location, scouting, staff training and drone insurance. But those tend to be mostly fixed costs that see little to no change depending on how many drones are used.
The cost per individual light show drone can easily run between $1,000 and $2,000. Thus, a 660-drone show (that’s the average size of a drone show in China) could easily mean more than $600,000 worth of hardware in the sky, and potentially more than $1.3 million, based on those figures.
The good news? Drones are reusable, so that’s mostly a one-time upfront cost. That’s in contrast to fireworks, which are a one-time use. You really are basically just lighting money on fire with a fireworks show, as you’ll have to spend that money again to get ammo for the next show.
As companies are able to amortize the huge upfront costs, expect drone light shows to become more affordable over time. And already we’re already seeing proof of that. For example, the average cost per drone in a show in China is just $175, according to SPH data. No, that doesn’t mean that Chinese drone show companies are using cheap toy drones that cost that little. It’s just that Chinese drone show companies generally charge about that much to put on a show. So, you can expect an 1,000 drone show in China to cost $175,000.
Meanwhile, budget about $233 per drone, per show in the U.S. So, a massive, 1,000-drone show would cost over $230,000. But, you might only pay just over $20,000 for a smaller show with, say, 100 drones. That aligns with other reporting we’ve done on drone light show costs in the U.S. For example, one of the leaders in drone shows, Sky Elements, says their prices start at about $15,000 for the absolute smallest shows.
Here are those figures rounded up, by region, sorted by average spending per show:
| Average cost of drone light show |
Average # of drones per show | Average cost per drone | |
| China | $114,564 | 660 | $175 |
| Middle East/North Africa | $112,250 | 401 | $316 |
| India | $91,700 | 396 | $330 |
| United Kingdom | $90,570 | 257 | $309 |
| Asia Pacific | $58,440 | 307 | $195 |
| North America | $52,455 | 218 | $233 |
| Europe | $42,034 | 182 | $227 |
| Latin America | $25,550 | 115 | $218 |
So who is actually spending all that money on drone shows? Turns out, it’s governments — and local and city governments, at that. According to the SPH Engineering study, 18% of all drone show customers are city governments. Commercial businesses are the second largest drone show customer, making up 15% of clients. Rounding out the top 3 is a tie between the sports sector and art festivals, both of which make up 9% of all clients.
They’re also popping up at resorts, theme parks and trade shows, though the trend is hardly new. Today, the free Disney Dreams That Soar drone show at Disney Springs is wowing audiences, but Disney Springs first put on a drone show way back during the 2016 winter holiday season. And in 2018, CES — which is the world’s largest electronics trade show — worked with Intel to put on a drone show at the Bellagio in Vegas.
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Cala Sapone, Sant’Antioco, Sardinia at sunset
Mavic 3 pro with 70 mm camera (3x)
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