By Philip Hicks, AG U.K. Ambassador
Geopolitics has thrust drones into the spotlight, sometimes uneasily. From contested skies over Ukraine to privacy debates in liberal democracies, autonomy has become a symbol of both capability and controversy. Yet humanitarian applications, such as medical logistics, disaster relief, precision agriculture underscore drones’ potential for resilience. This year’s DroneX captured the duality of innovation tempered by governance.
Accelerating Regulations: Setting the Stage for Innovation
Regulators worldwide have accelerated frameworks to unlock the potential of uncrewed systems, even as critics argue that bureaucracy is slowing innovation. In the UK, the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) has updated CAP 722 and introduced CAP 722L to clarify modification policies for Specific Category operators. Its BVLOS Roadmap (CAP 3182) sets a clear trajectory toward routine BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operations by 2027. Across Europe, EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) has consolidated U-space guidance and adopted SORA v2.5 as the reference risk methodology, while the U.S. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) is advancing proposals for expanding beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) permissions with its Part 108 rulemaking.
These moves signal a shift from reactive oversight to proactive enablement. They create conditions for a market projected to reach $40.56 billion by 2030 at a 9.2% CAGR, according to MarketsandMarkets. Alternative forecasts, such as Fortune Business Insights and Mordor Intelligence, model even higher totals, underscoring the sector’s accelerating trajectory.
But regulation alone does not deliver capability. The real story lies in how industry and regulators converge to operationalize autonomy across air, land, sea and space. That convergence was on full display at DroneX 2025, held at London’s ExCeL as part of the Uncrewed Tech Expo.
The event co-located three specialist shows (Autonomous Ground Vehicles Expo, Uncrewed Marine Vehicles Expo and Space Autonomy International Expo) that brought together over 4,000 visitors from 95 countries. Regulators, primes, and subject matter experts (SMEs) shared the floor. The event showcased a sector that has matured from siloed experimentation to multidomain orchestration…especially for the U.K. and Europe.
Europe’s Multi-Domain Catalyst
More than just a date on the calendar, U.K.-based DroneX has become Europe’s uncrewed systems catalyst and has grown through several iterations, since I first visited seven years ago. Under the stewardship of Adnan Hiroli, who took full ownership of the event in 2025 after serving as director since 2019, the show has evolved from its origins in Helitech into a strategic platform for multi-domain innovation. What began as a helicopter-focused exhibition is now a hothouse for technologies spanning air, land, sea and space.
Dual-Use: The Coin of the Realm
Embedded within the Uncrewed Tech Expo, DroneX reflects the sector’s own trajectory from niche experiments to integrated ecosystems where defence, dual-use and commercial applications converge.
This inclusion of defence and dual-use capabilities alongside commercial applications is essential to credibility and growth. From ISR platforms and tactical uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) to precision agriculture and infrastructure inspection, DroneX enables dialogue across regulatory, operational and industrial boundaries. Strategic partnerships with ARPAS-UK (Association of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems UK, the main UK trade association for the commercial drone/RPAS industry), the Civil Aviation Authority and NATS (National Air Traffic Services, the UK’s primary air navigation service provider responsible for most air traffic control in UK airspace and parts of the North Atlantic) have grounded the event in real-world relevance by creating an atmosphere that is collaborative but purposeful.
Where Standards Take Shape and Futures Are Imagined.
The exhibitor line-up at DroneX 2025 reinforced this momentum. Companies such as ISS Aerospace, Beyond Robotix, AIR6 Systems, exabotix GmbH, Vizgard and Tri-Site showcased innovations ranging from bespoke uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) for defence and logistics to autonomous drone-in-a-box (DIB) systems for BVLOS missions and precision tools for land and marine surveying. These SMEs exemplify the sector’s dual DNA of technical rigor and operational agility.
Unparalleled Collaboration: Unlocking Trust and Progress
Craig Lippett, ARPAS-UK’s Director of Policy & Regulation, underscored the importance of collaboration. “Events like DroneX are vital. They bring regulators, innovators, and operators into the same room. Engagement is the key. Without it, regulation risks falling behind innovation, and innovation risks losing public trust,” he said.
Alek Kehoe, founder of Vizgard, put it bluntly: “The UK has all the ingredients to lead in defence AI, but the pace of transition from proof-of-concept to deployment is lagging. Events like DroneX matter because they connect SMEs with primes, regulators, and end-users. Engagement isn’t optional. I’s the lifeblood of responsible innovation.”
This sentiment resonates across Europe’s U-space initiatives and the UK’s iterative BVLOS approach, both designed to scale autonomy without sacrificing safety or transparency.
BVLOS: The Commercial Imperative
Craig Roberts, Head of Drones at PwC UK, framed BVLOS as the linchpin for scale during his presentation of Skies Without Limits v3.0:
“We must move beyond isolated aviation risk and embrace the concept of net risk. Drones don’t just add capability. They actively reduce harm by replacing dangerous tasks. That’s why BVLOS adoption is central to unlocking the sector’s full potential.”
This principle is already visible in practice in NATS CAELUS. Project CAELUS is a multi-partner initiative (including NATS, AGS Airports, NHS Scotland and universities) to design and trial a drone-based distribution network for medicines, blood, organs and other critical healthcare items in Scotland. It has validated “Master Control Room” concepts for BVLOS medical logistics, bridging crewed and uncrewed traffic in controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
At DroneX, the keynote “Unlocking Scaled Autonomous BVLOS Operations for Critical National Infrastructure” also highlighted BVLOS relating to how National Grid Electricity Transmission and sees.ai are piloting drone inspections over live power infrastructure, managed through a central control system. This initiative mirrors the UK roadmap’s pathways toward routine BVLOS operations and demonstrates how safety and scalability can coexist.
Convergence in Action
The multidomain future is here and operational. In agriculture and disaster response, UAV–UGV teaming is transforming workflows, with ground robots now refuelling aerial drones to extend BVLOS endurance and enable layered situational awareness in hazardous environments. Offshore wind operators deploy uncrewed surface vessels for geophysical surveys, supported by satellite broadband and aerial sensing for a seamless integration of maritime autonomy with space-based communications and airborne data capture. Meanwhile, BVLOS integration projects like CAELUS and Atticus demonstrate how digital authorisation and real-time deconfliction can scale autonomy without fragmenting airspace governance. In short, the convergence of air, land, sea and space has redefined autonomy. Regulation is finally catching up, allowing markets to scale and technology to embed. DroneX highlighted the best of autonomy and how the U.K. and Europe are truly ready to lift off.