Dealing in Drones: The Big Business of Unmanned Flight

By: Brad Quick

“Drone” is a loaded word. Just saying it automatically triggers images of the military’s Predator program, which gained notoriety in the skies over Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

It’s an image the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle industry is hoping to shed.

Congress has set Sept. 30, 2015, as the Federal Aviation Administration’s target date to safely integrate UAVs into the national airspace.

The agency estimates as many as 7,500 drones could be in commercial use over U.S. towns and cities within five years.

And while civil liberties groups like the ACLU cry foul over what they see as an increase in domestic surveillance, the UAV industry says the economic benefits of drone integration are being overlooked. The industry claims it will create 100,000 jobs and contribute $82 billion toward the GDP by 2025—but only if the FAA hits its 2015 target date.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100704887