Cracking an emerging market This summer companies that want to exploit the increasingly favorable economics offered by UAS will, for the first time, be able to lay the groundwork for expanded operations beneath, above, around and on the Arctic ice. "I can tell you with confidence that we're going to get a significantly higher volume of flights," InSitu's McDuffee said of the upcoming Arctic flying season, which begins around July. "We'll learn a lot about ourselves, the oil companies will learn a lot about themselves, and the FAA truly benefits because they will see firsthand how we can integrate an unmanned system as it exists today safely into the national airspace."  For the drone industry, that final point couldn't be more important. The increased deployment of drones to the Arctic this year doesn't just spell economic opportunity for global shippers of oil and gas companies but also for drone manufacturers. By cultivating relationships with oil and gas companies now, UAS manufacturers like Insitu and Aerovironment are positioning themselves to continue supplying the industry with hardware and operational expertise as exploration activities in the Arctic expand. But more than that, they're making a strong case for increased commercial drone operations in the rest of the national airspace—something the FAA is working toward in the next few years. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, the drone industry's largest trade group, estimates that the opening of U.S. skies—all U.S. skies—to commercial UAS would create $82 billion in economic impact in the first decade alone.  "This is really just the beginning," McDuffee said. "We're looking at this primarily as technology demonstrations to really define what the markets ultimately will become. Then we'll take those lessons learned and transfer them to the lower 48."  —By Clay Dillow, Special to CNBC.com
Companies are preparing to launch unmanned aircraft in the Arctic this summer to aid in energy exploration, climatology research and shipping.