China, Russia and the US have become the leading developers of UAV technology

April 26, 2024, AEX.RU – The number of patents for drones has increased sharply around the world amid a “new arms race.” China, Russia and the United States are among the top five developers of UAV technology. RBC writes about this with reference to The Independent.

The publication refers to data from the World Intellectual Property Organization. As noted, in the period from 2022 to 2023, the number of applications for registration of patents in this area increased by 16%.

Former U.S. Department of Defense analyst Marcel Plichta called the trend “part of a new global arms race” that is distinct from traditional “tank and rifle” production and is being driven by developments in the technology sector.

“This is not necessarily a technological revolution – it is simply an example of the use of unmanned aerial vehicle technology to gain advantages on the battlefield,” the expert says.

According to the publication, in the period from 2022 to 2024, Russia filed 342 patents for registration, Ukraine – four. 87% of relevant applications over the past year came from China, with the United States in second place with 858 patents.

The most popular technology is from the Chinese drone manufacturer DJI. According to Plicht, such quadcopter drones are “ideal for use on the battlefield” due to their small size and the ability to be equipped with a camera and explosives. There is no alternative to them in the United States, he admitted.

“We are seeing increased investment in drone research from the defense industry as governments realize they are engaged in a virtual arms race in this area,” said Andrew White, an associate at intellectual property law firm Mathys & Squire.

In January, the secretariat of Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov announced plans to triple the production of drones by 2030, to more than 32 thousand units per year. The amount of funding for the national project “Unmanned Aircraft Systems” for this period is about 700 billion rubles. The corresponding UAV development strategy was developed in April 2023.