As countries' investment increases year by year, drone technology will receive the most reliable development momentum. The data shows that the US government allocated $4.5 billion in fiscal 2017 alone to support the development of new drone technology. "In the next ten years, it is expected that (the United States) will maintain a high investment trend in the field of drones, which will reach 10 billion US dollars by 2024." At the same time, other countries have also invested heavily in the field of drones. The UAV is ready to invest $2 billion in research and development.
Specific government departments, the most willing to "burn money" for drones are military institutions. Data show that in 2002, the US Department of Defense invested more than $700 million in drones, an increase of 110% from 2001; in 2010, it reached a peak of $3.766 billion. During Obama’s administration, the US Department of Defense’s investment in drones slowed down, but after Trump took office, he insisted on raising the national defense budget ceiling, and the Pentagon’s investment in drones resumed growth. Since 2010, the Russian Ministry of Defense has also increased investment in drones. "Although the exact number is unknown, the number of drones in the Russian military and the drones are frequent, indicating that it will not be a small number," the report said. "Russian News Agency has disclosed that there are currently more than 1,900 UAVs in the Russian military, which are used for almost all combat and training activities. Among them, the drones such as 'Sea Eagle-10' Patrol-600' are even more outstanding. The former was verified in the Syrian battlefield, and the latter is known as the 'predator' who is comparable to the war in the United States."
It is predicted that major military enterprises will be the leaders in the field of drones in the next decade, such as General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, British BAE Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), China Aerospace Science and Technology. Group, etc. Most of the R&D activities of these companies are carried out under the guidance of their own military. For example, every two or three years, the US military will formulate a roadmap for the development of drones to guide the development of military enterprises.