Mass production, resilient supply chains, strategies to combat the skilled-labor shortage, public acceptance, and strategic independence in an essential future technology. These topics, which dominate the debate about the state of the UxS industry in Europe, are also at the forefront of the agenda in the USA. Just as in recent weeks at XPONENTIAL Europe in Düsseldorf, all these issues are shaping the many conversations in the exhibition hall and the extensive conference program at XPONENTIAL in Detroit.

The development had been anticipated, and it was fundamentally overdue. While in previous years discussions primarily revolved around products, innovations, and new development steps, the conversations in the UxS industry are now primarily focused on topics of manufacturing, resilience in supply chains, integration of unmanned systems into safety-critical systems, and—last but not least—how drones can be effectively deployed as valuable tools in operational settings.

In regular operations and on an industrial scale. Above all, the theme of safety prevails.

During a joint tour, AUVSI President Michael Robbins (right) and Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy Michael Cadenazzi (center) informed themselves about current developments in the UxS market

Just as any illegally operated system can undermine trust in technology, so too can incidents or accidents involving unmanned systems. Therefore, the triad of implementation, scaling, and operational safety will determine the future of the UxS industry globally.