Parrot reports 88% jump in ANAFI drone business in 2022

European drone manufacturer Parrot has announced its 2022 financial results, reporting an 88% increase in the sales of the ANAFI aircraft.

According to Parrot, its microdrone business unit raked in €39.2 million ($41.6 million) in revenues last year, fueled by the demand for ANAFI USA and ANAFI Ai aircraft. The deliveries identified and linked directly to the war in Ukraine represented €1.6 million ($1.7 million) of revenues in 2022.

Industrial drones now make up for 55% of Parrot’s group revenue of €71.9 million ($76.4 million), with the rest of the income coming from 11 Pix4D software solutions that focus on photogrammetry for mapping, inspection, security, and precision farming. Overall, revenue for the Parrot group is up 32%, or 24% at constant exchange rates.

Parrot says it has responded to the growing demand for its microdrones by ramping up component purchases and production capacity. The ANAFI USA, aimed at security and defense markets, accounts for the majority of the microdrone sales. The drone has been acquired by various institutions in NATO countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Northern Europe, and Japan.

Read: You can now use the Parrot ANAFI USA as a tethered drone

Further, Parrot says it has increased its R&D spending, with about 60% of the workforce focusing on drone innovation.

“The objective is to offer customers a strong level of automation for data capture and analysis. This involves continuously improving the capacity to process high volumes of information, combined with the development of artificial intelligence in equipment. With this roadmap, the integration of drone technologies is being simplified, while ensuring the quality and relevance of the data acquired, particularly in terms of recurrence,” says Parrot.

In terms of future outlook, the company says it is moving forward with a demanding technological roadmap, focused primarily on automation, cybersecurity, and respect for user data. Here’s Parrot:

For the microdrones serving the defense and security markets, the geopolitical situation highlights the need for equipment ensuring high levels of both performance and security in the context of increased sovereignty. The ANAFI USA is now a world front-runner in this area. However, the cycles for sales to government institutions are long and the multi-year contracts cover different scales. With this type of contract, the frequency and volumes of renewals of orders are subject to adjudication by the contracting authorities. At a time when many countries have announced significant growth in their military budgets, Parrot is mobilizing to continue expanding its client portfolio.

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