As “flexible, highly efficient, and free from any ground constraints,” integrated aircraft have been able to expand their reach to three major fields, that is, civil, industrial, and military, and have generated more than ten different segmented application scenarios:
Aerial Photography and Entertainment: Consumer - grade drones have been very successful and are ubiquitous as useful photography tools for photography enthusiasts. They do 4K ultra-high definition shooting, time - lapse photography, and follow-mode, and can photograph whatever it is, nature or city, etc. By the end of 2024, the global market value of consumer - grade drones had already been over 12 billion USD.
Personal Transport: Small manned aircraft are slowly but surely taking the "short-distance commuting" out of the hands of other modes of transport. In low-altitude parks like those in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, they can make short-distance flights between "office buildings and parking lots" and "airports and hotels". The flying speed is around 100 kilometers per hour, and the flying distance is from 25 to 30 kilometers, thus creating the base for the upcoming "air taxi".
Logistics and Distribution: It is the solution for the problems of "last-mile delivery" and "transportation in remote areas". The use of logistics drones has been implemented in Yunnan, Guizhou, and some other areas where they transport medicines and agricultural products from warehouses at the county-level to villages that are difficult to reach. What took 2-3 hours for a road transport trip can now be done by drones in only 30 minutes.
Urban Distribution: A trial for "Drone food delivery" was conducted in Shenzhen. The time of the flight from the kitchens of the commercial district to the homes is about 5-8 minutes, with the average number of deliveries being more than 200 per day, thus solving the problem of ground traffic congestion that occurs during peak hours.
Agricultural Plant Protection Operations: The agricultural plant protection drones are equipped with a precision spraying system (atomized particle size: 50-100 microns) so that they can achieve "a 30% reduction of pesticide usage per mu and a 5 times increase in operational efficiency". Single plant protection drones are capable of doing 300-500 mu of farming operations in one day, which is equivalent to the work of 20 manual laborers. By 2024, the total national area covered by agricultural plant protection drones had already gone beyond 1.5 billion mu.
Forestry Monitoring: In the forest areas of Northeast China, drones equipped with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) can rapidly measure forest stock volume and identify areas with plant diseases and pests. Any forest survey task that used to take 1 month of manual work can now be done by drones in only 3 days, and the data accuracy has been improved by 20%.
Power Inspection: The State Grid uses drones to inspect high-voltage lines and substations. Infrared cameras are excellent in locating faults such as overheating of line joints and the area where the insulators are damaged. The inspection efficiency is 6 times that of manual work, and it also removes the safety risks of manual climbing. The national inventory of drones for power inspection exceeded 20,000 units in 2024.
Bridge and Tunnel Inspection: With the help of high-definition cameras and LiDAR, drones are able to locate bridge cracks and tunnel lining defects accurately. They are providing regular inspection services with an inspection accuracy of 0.1 millimeters for major infrastructures such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Qinling Tunnel.
Disaster Survey: In the case of an earthquake or a flood, drones can reach the disaster areas very quickly and, thus, they can send the information back that is regarding the damaged houses and people who are trapped.
Material Delivery: Drones can deliver food, medicine, and communication equipment to people who are trapped in mountain rescue operations.Firefighting and Fire Suppression: Firefighting drones, which have been equipped with fire-extinguishing bombs and water cannons, can take to the air, where, in the case of a fire in a high-rise building, they can spray fire-extinguishing agents, thus putting the firefighters who have to climb the building at safety.
Military integrated aircraft are the ones that mainly function around "reconnaissance, strike, and communication" core functions, and most of them are types of drones, such as reconnaissance drones, reconnaissance-strike integrated drones, and transport drones. They can perform reconnaissance missions at the frontline of the battlefields or can deliver precise strikes on the targets, as a result, decreasing the casualties. The worldwide market value of military drones was over 18 billion US dollars in 2024.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
1. When and where will the Expo take place?
The Expo is planned for May 13–15, 2026, and the location will be Hall C, Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center (XICEC), Xiamen, China.
2. What is the scale of the exhibition?
The event area is around 40,000 m², and there are 350+ companies presenting their products and services. They are expecting more than 30,000 professional visitors from all over the world.
3. What kind of activities are included?
The number of professional forums and events that will be held to discuss topics such as smart mobility, transportation communication, safety, and sustainable development is over 80.
4. How many countries and regions are involved?
The participants will be from more than 80 countries and regions, and this is the place for a global meeting of intelligent transportation innovation.
5. Are there cooperation opportunities?
Definitely. With more than 1,000 global partners, the Expo is full of business collaboration, technology exchange, and investment opportunities.
6. Who can I contact for more details?
Contact the Organizing Committee if you are interested in learning more. The Official website's Contact Us section is the place to find their details.
