Drone market has room to soar

Airborne vehicles find increased use for surveys, monitoring and patrol

A huge market for civilian unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, is emerging in China, industry observers said, prompting the need for the government to speed up regulation.

"More than 10,000 civilian drones will be needed in China once the industry is fully developed and regulations are put in place," said Zhang Feng, secretary-general of the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association of China. "The market value of developing, manufacturing, operating and maintaining these drones will reach 50 billion yuan ($8.18 billion)."