Which countries will lead the drone industry by 2030?
Not by drone count. 7 jobs, 9 countries: building, banning, fighting, selling, shipping, inventing, protecting. China builds them: 70% of the world's civilian drones, and with Hong Kong $4.6 billion of exports in 2025, more than the next 18 exporting countries combined. The US bans them: every new DJI model blacklisted in December 2025. Ukraine fights with them: 4 million built in 2025, 7 million planned for 2026. Russia matches it: 1.2 to 1.8 million a year. Turkey sells them: Baykar, $2.2 billion in 2025 by its own count, mostly military. Poland ships them: the number 3 drone exporter on Earth, $882 million, ahead of the United States, Europe's route to Ukraine. And the Netherlands, my home country, is number 5 at $632 million. Israel invented them: IAI and Elbit, drones sold to 49 countries. India protects its own: imports banned since 2022. Most of my $150 billion drone market in 2030 still starts in Shenzhen.