AUVSI Study Finds Unmanned Aircraft Industry Poised to Create 70,000 New Jobs in the U.S. in Three Years

New Study Finds Enormous Job Creation Potential Following Integration of Unmanned Aircraft into the National Airspace

ARLINGTON, Va., March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) unveiled a new study, which finds that the unmanned aircraft industry is poised to create more than 70,000 new American jobs in the first three years following the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into U.S. national airspace system (NAS). Integration is scheduled to take place in 2015. Beyond the first three years, the study projects that more than 100,000 new jobs will be created by 2025.

"This is an incredibly exciting time for an industry developing technology that will benefit society, as well as the economy," said Michael Toscano, president & CEO of AUVSI.  "In recent years, unmanned aircraft technology has grown remarkably and is already proving useful in a range of domestic applications. Integrating UAS into the national airspace will lead to new and expanded uses, which means the creation of quality, high-paying American jobs."

Specifically, the study finds:

The complete study, including state-by-state breakdowns of economic impact projections, is available at http://www.auvsi.org/econreport.

"While we project more than 100,000 new jobs by 2025, states that create favorable regulatory and business environments for the industry and the technology will likely siphon jobs away from states that do not," wrote the report's author, Darryl Jenkins, a past professor at George Washington University and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Nationally, the precision agriculture industry is expected to be the largest market for UAS technology, the AUVSI study finds. UAS will help farmers monitor crops and distribute pesticides, which could not only help improve efficiency, but also reduce the total amount of pesticides sprayed, saving money and reducing environmental impact. The public safety sector is another area that will benefit from the tremendous potential for UAS technology. UAS have the capability to help police and firefighters— who put themselves into harm's way every day to protect the communities they serve — do their job safely and efficiently.

The report was commissioned by AUVSI and developed by Jenkins, an aviation industry economist with more than 30 years of experience. Jenkins is the author of the Handbook of Airline Economics and previously served as the director of the Aviation Institute at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

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The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems, representing more than 7,000 members from 65 allied countries involved in the fields of government, industry and academia. For more information, visit www.auvsi.org 

SOURCE Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International