Drone bubble bursts, wiping out startups and hammering VC firms

Executives at drone startups report less enthusiasm about the industry than they did a year ago, a 2019 survey from research group Drone Industry Insights shows. — AP

New commercial drone businesses flooded into the market at the start of the decade, flush with venture capital and giddy with visions of unmanned aircraft being used for everything from delivering packages to fertilising farmland.

Unmanned aircraft are still seen as a pillar of the future. But for now, all that over-heated enthusiasm is getting a cold blast of reality.