Japanese commercial drone services provider for oil and gas, utilities, infrastructure inspection, construction, and UTM/UAM solutions; listed Nov 2024.
Terra Drone Corporation is a commercial drone services and technology company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company provides drone-based solutions across surveying, infrastructure inspection, agriculture, and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM), serving industries including oil and gas, construction, utilities, chemicals, and energy. Terra Drone has completed a portfolio of more than 3,000 projects worldwide and was ranked first in the global drone service provider rankings for 2024. In 2022, the company raised a $70 million Series B funding round to accelerate its international expansion and technology development.
Terra Drone's inspection services are a primary commercial focus, particularly for oil and gas and utility infrastructure. The company offers non-entry inspection of high and confined industrial spaces, including visual and thermal inspection using collision-resistant drones, and tank or boiler wall-thickness measurement using its proprietary ultrasonic non-destructive testing drone, the Terra UT. Facilities can be digitised into detailed 3D models through photogrammetry and laser scanning, supporting asset management and maintenance planning. In 2025, Terra Drone signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Aramco to conduct test inspections of oil and gas processing facilities, with full operational deployment targeted for 2027. In January 2025, the company launched the Terra Xross 1, an indoor inspection drone developed and manufactured in Japan, simultaneously releasing the product in Japan and the United States.
Terra Drone's global growth strategy is built around acquiring established local drone service providers and integrating their regional expertise and customer relationships with the company's proprietary hardware, software, and UTM platform. This approach has enabled the company to build operations across Japan, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe while maintaining local market knowledge in each region. Beyond conventional drone services, Terra Drone develops UTM systems for managing safe and efficient operations of both commercial drones and flying cars, positioning the company at the intersection of current drone services and the emerging advanced air mobility sector. Terra Drone is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the ticker 278A.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Japan-made indoor inspection drone developed in-house by Terra Drone, launched simultaneously in Japan and the US in January 2025.
Interceptor drone developed with Amazing Drones of Ukraine, announced by Terra Drone in March 2026.
UAV aerial survey and remote-sensing data services for mapping across global sites.
UAV inspection of plants and assets for energy majors like Shell, BP and ADNOC.
UTM platform for drone airspace management, deployed with ANSPs and aviation authorities.
UAV spraying and crop-monitoring services for agricultural producers.
Interceptor and fixed-wing defense UAVs via Terra Defense Europe and Ukrainian subsidiaries.
Contact Terra Drone
WEBSITE
https://terra-drone.net/global/PHONE
+81 3 6419 7193HEADQUARTERS
Japan
Company Facts
Founded
2016
Primary Role
System Integrator
Company Size
employees 100-500
Primary Region
Asia-Pacific
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
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