A Volpe report that provides projections on unmanned aircraft operations recently received national attention. Information from the report has been cited by news outlets across the country, including NBC News, Bloomberg, Portland Press Herald, Nextgov, Infosec Institute, and the Reason Foundation.

The Air Traffic Control Association’s (ATCA) quarterly publication, Air Traffic Control, features an in-depth article about Volpe’s report, "Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Service Demand 2015 - 2035: Literature Review and Projections of Future Usage," in its most recent issue. The article, “What are the Challenges and Payoffs for UAS to Operate in the National Airspace?” provides an overview of Volpe’s analysis.

The analysis consists of four key areas used to develop the forecast for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) demand from 2015 to 2035; three market forecasts for UAS; and UAS forecast for the Department of Defense, public agencies, and commercial markets.

Volpe’s report, developed for the U.S. Air Force, projects that unmanned aircraft operations will surpass manned aircraft operations by 2035. It provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-market overview of unmanned aircraft systems. It also emphasizes that the technologies needed to support unmanned aircraft operation forecasts are developing rapidly while the costs are diminishing and the applications are growing. But there are challenges to overcome before the full benefits can be realized.

To learn more, read the Air Traffic Control article and the Volpe report.