WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The number of commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), or drones, will increase four times over the next four years and reach 2.7 million, the US Federal Aviation Administration said in a report on Thursday.
"Sales of UAS for commercial purposes are expected to grow from 600,000 in 2016 to 2.7 million by 2020," the report noted.
Moreover, the number of recreational drones will reach 4.3 million by 2020 from 1.9 million in 2016, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
"Combined total hobbyist and commercial UAS sales are expected to rise from 2.5 million in 2016 to 7 million in 2020," the report stated.
In December, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a regulation requiring drone owners to register with the US authorities.
The new ruling came amid an increase in pilot sightings of unmanned aircraft, which grew from 238 in 2014 to more than 650 by August 9, 2015.
