Drone Frontier
Drone Frontier is a Japanese drone services company that provides infrared thermography-based exterior wall and roof inspections for building owners, property managers, and construction firms, supported by drone pilot training, DJI equipment sales, and a proprietary roof measurement app.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersNishi, Japan
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Drone Frontier does
Drone Frontier (株式会社ドローン・フロンティア), founded in March 2017 and headquartered in Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, is a Japanese drone services company specializing in building exterior inspections using infrared thermography. Its core service combines drone-mounted infrared and visible-light cameras with proprietary image analysis to detect tile delamination, water infiltration, moisture, and structural defects on facades, roofs, and infrastructure — a workflow that the company states reduces inspection cost by 50-80% versus traditional scaffolding and compresses survey time from weeks to 1-2 days. The company implements the entire workflow in-house following its 2020 acquisition of AeroMS, including flight operations, thermal image analysis, defect coding, and report generation, and holds Patent No. 7774925 (registered November 2025) covering automated coloring of infrared inspection images.
The company operates a multi-stream business model. Primary revenue comes from professional inspection services priced at 200-450 JPY per square meter (approximately 330 JPY/sqm for drone-only surveys and 500 JPY/sqm for rope-access fallback), with 150+ buildings inspected annually and more than 300 cumulative since 2019. Secondary streams include the UAS Skills School (UAS技能教習所), an MLIT-registered training organization offering national drone pilot certification courses (160,000-220,000 JPY per person) and construction-industry specializations (roof inspection, infrared inspection); authorized DJI drone and accessory sales; drone consulting/implementation support; and aerial photography for media, sports, and government clients. Sub-brands include Yane Hakarukun (屋根はかる君), a proprietary roof measurement app relaunched as version 2.0 in April 2025 with a simplified photo-to-measurement workflow.
The company serves building owners, property managers, construction and renovation contractors, J.League sports organizations (Gamba Osaka, Kawasaki Frontale, Shonan Bellmare), local governments (Adachi-ku), and police agencies. It maintains a nationwide footprint through one headquarters and six branch offices (Kumamoto, Otsu, Kanazawa, plus Tokyo-area branches), with channel partnerships through the GCU construction association (400+ members) and speee's Nuri-kae marketplace, and operates a direct enterprise sales motion with on-site service delivery, online consultation (Zoom), and event-driven lead generation.
Drone Frontier firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Drone Frontier
- Legal name
- 株式会社ドローン・フロンティア
- Website
- https://drone-frontier.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Drone Frontier is a Japanese drone services company that provides infrared thermography-based exterior wall and roof inspections for building owners, property managers, and construction firms, supported by drone pilot training, DJI equipment sales, and a proprietary roof measurement app.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Drone Frontier is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nishi
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices5 records
Markets served
Drone Frontier business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Building Inspection Services: Drone-based infrared and visual inspection services for building facades, roofs, and infrastructure. Revenue generated from per-square-meter pricing for inspection surveys, including image capture, analysis, and report generation. Services include both drone-based and rope-access inspections.
- Drone Pilot Training School (UAS技能教習所): Drone operator training services providing both national certifications and private certifications. Revenue from course fees ranging from 160,000 to 220,000 JPY per course. Includes Standard Course, Roof Inspection Course, Infrared Inspection Course, and Aerial Photography Course.
- Drone Equipment Sales and Support: Sales of DJI drones and peripherals as an authorized DJI dealer. Also provides accessories, insurance brokerage, and flight application support services. Revenue from equipment sales and ongoing support contracts.
- Business Consulting and Implementation Support: Consulting services for companies looking to adopt drone technology for their business operations. Includes pilot training, operational consulting, and support for new drone business ventures.
- Aerial Photography/Videography Services: Professional drone videography services for events, sports, corporate promotional content, and film productions. Revenue from project-based fees for filming, editing, and content delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Course - 2-day drone pilot training |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Roof Inspection Course - 3-day specialized training |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Infrared External Wall Inspection Course - 2-day training |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Aerial Photography Course - 2-day training |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Drone Infrared External Wall Inspection |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Online Drone Training |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Drone Frontier product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Drone Frontier delivers drone-based infrared and visible-light exterior wall inspection services for buildings such as apartments, offices, schools, hotels, hospitals, factories, and bridges, using proprietary image-analysis software to detect tile delamination, cracks, and water intrusion without scaffolding. The company complements inspections with a roof-measurement app (Yane Hakarukun), an MLIT-accredited drone pilot training school (UST Tokyo), DJI drone sales, aerial photography for media and sports, and consulting to help construction firms adopt drone operations.
Product overview
Drone Frontier offers a comprehensive drone-based building inspection platform centered on infrared exterior wall inspection and roof inspection services. The core offering combines drone-based infrared thermography (infrared exterior wall inspection) with visible light photography to detect tile delamination, cracks, water damage, and structural defects. Supporting services include drone roof inspection, drone indoor inspection, and tapping inspections via rope access for comprehensive building coverage. The company operates UAS Skills School (UAS技能教習所) for drone pilot training with national certification courses and construction-industry specialized curricula. A key digital product is 屋根はかる君 (Yane Hakarukun), a roof measurement app that calculates roof dimensions and area from photos, recently relaunched as version 2.0 with simplified 'take and send' workflow. Additional services include aerial photography for media and events, DJI drone sales as an authorized dealer, online training courses, and business consulting for drone implementation. The company holds a patent (Patent No. 7774925) for an infrared detection inspection system with automated image coloring for defect visualization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 屋根はかる君: Roof measurement application for the renovation and housing industry that calculates roof area, slope, and dimensions from drone or smartphone photos. Launched March 2024; version 2.0 released April 2025.
- UAS技能教習所東京校 (UST東京校)
Products and services
- Infrared Exterior Wall Inspection (赤外線外壁調査) Drone-based infrared thermography inspection of building exteriors that combines thermal and visible-light imaging to detect tile delamination, cracks, water intrusion, and structural defects, delivered without scaffolding for apartment, office, hotel, school, and hospital customers.
- Drone Exterior Wall Inspection Implementation Support (ドローン外壁調査導入支援) Consulting and operational support package for construction and real estate companies that want to bring drone-based exterior wall inspection in-house, covering training, equipment selection, and operational workflow design.
- Drone Indoor Inspection (ドローン屋内点検) Indoor inspection service using drones for areas that are difficult to access, providing safe visual assessment of building interiors.
- Drone Roof Inspection / Implementation Support (ドローン屋根調査／導入支援) Drone roof inspection service plus implementation support package that covers roof damage assessment, measurement, and guidance for businesses adopting drone-based roof inspections.
- Yane Hakarukun (屋根はかる君) Proprietary roof measurement mobile/web application that calculates roof dimensions, slope, and area from photos, used by roofing contractors and sales staff to generate estimates without physical roof access.
- UAS Skills School - UST Tokyo (UAS技能教習所) Drone pilot training school offering MLIT-certified courses for national Unmanned Aircraft Pilot certifications (一等・二等無人航空機操縦士), construction-industry specialized programs (roof inspection, infrared inspection), and standard courses taught by active field pilots.
- Drone Sales - DJI Authorized Dealer (ドローン販売) Authorized DJI dealer offering drone hardware sales, consultation, and after-sales support, including DJI Inspire 2, Mavic 3 CINE, Matrice 600 Pro, FPV, Zenmuse X7, and Mini 2, plus accessories and original goods.
- Online Drone Training (オンライン講習) Online drone education program covering aviation law, the registration system, drone operation basics, and certification preparation, available for remote individual learners and corporate team training at 20,000 JPY per person for a 4-hour course.
- Aerial Photography / Videography (空撮) Professional drone aerial photography and videography services for TV, film, promotional videos, sports events, and government projects, leveraging experienced pilots, top-tier equipment inventory, and nationwide coverage.
- Exterior Wall Tapping Inspection (外壁打診調査) Rope-access physical tapping inspection of building exteriors, combined with drone infrared inspection for full building coverage in cases where drone survey alone is unsuitable due to sunlight conditions or spatial constraints.
- Drone Consulting (ドローンコンサルティング) Business consulting for companies entering or scaling drone operations, covering operational strategy, pilot training coordination, equipment selection, and ongoing operational support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Zero drone accidents or crashes in 2023 and 2024
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Drone Frontier
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Drone Frontier technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
Drone Frontier partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, key and core.
- QEA TECH Japan Co., Ltd. (キューイーエイ・テック・ジャパン株式会社)supportingJoint project for building energy consumption quantification using AI image analysis from drone-captured building exterior data. Supports carbon neutrality initiatives through building energy diagnostics.
- Kashiwabara Corporation (株式会社カシワバラ・コーポレーション)keyMajor renovation contractor partnership for combined drone inspection and large-scale repair services. Focuses on data-driven building assessment and digitalization of survey processes to deliver efficient, technology-enabled renovation services.
- General Incorporated Association GCU ((一社)GCU)coreConstruction industry association with 400+ member companies. Provides national qualification training to members, joint promotional events, and CSR activities including international school construction in Cambodia. GCU serves as major distribution channel for drone training and services.
- speee Inc. (株式会社speee)keyPartnership with operator of Nuri-kae platform, Japan's leading exterior painting marketplace. Provides drone inspection services to thousands of registered renovation contractors through the platform at special pricing packages.
- Sato Mansion Support Co., Ltd. (株式会社佐藤マンションサポート)keyFirst-class architect office partnership enabling one-stop service for Building Standards Act Article 12 inspections and subsequent repair work consultation. Combines drone inspection expertise with professional architectural assessment capabilities.
- Aeromms Co., Ltd. (エアロエムズ株式会社)coreAeromms, specializing in infrared data analysis, was acquired/grouped in July 2020 to internalize the complete infrared inspection service chain from flight operations to image analysis and report generation. This vertical integration enables faster turnaround and improved quality control across all inspection deliverables.
- 4U Co., Ltd. (株式会社4U)coreStrategic partnership with rope access exterior inspection company. Enables combined service offerings for buildings where drone inspection is unsuitable due to日照 conditions or spatial constraints. The partnership provides comprehensive 'no-scaffolding' full exterior inspection solutions using complementary methods.
- KPtechnologies Inc. (株式会社KPtechnologies)supportingTechnology partnership for construction-focused drone solution development. KPtechnologies operates construction-specific electronic contract platform 'Construction PAD' and brings software development expertise for building industry applications.
- Owners Club Co., Ltd. (株式会社OWNERS CLUB)supportingPartnership with fixed-price building renovation service operator. Implements drone-based building surveys to reduce costs and improve efficiency of their 'Menpak' fixed-cost maintenance service, enabling more competitive service offerings.
- Skypeak Co., Ltd. (株式会社スカイピーク)coreMinistry of Land registered training management organization partnership. Enables issuance of aviation authority-recognized drone pilot certifications through ADC drone school network, including shared curriculum and certification processes.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Drone Frontier competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Blue Innovation: Japanese drone solutions provider specializing in inspection, surveillance, and indoor drone operations. Direct peer in the drone-based inspection and indoor inspection segments where Drone Frontier also operates.
- Terra Drone: Tokyo-headquartered drone services company offering industrial inspection, surveying, and UTM solutions across Japan and globally. Most direct competitor in Japan for drone-based infrastructure and building inspection services.
- Sensyn Robotics: Japanese drone AI and inspection automation company serving infrastructure, construction, and disaster response. Direct overlap in drone-based inspection services and AI-driven image analysis.
- Aero Asahi: Major Japanese aerial surveying and inspection company (Zennippon Air Group) operating across photogrammetry, LiDAR, and drone-based building/road inspection. Competes for the same enterprise inspection contracts.
- Asia Air Survey: Long-established Japanese aerial surveying and inspection firm combining manned aircraft and drone-based data acquisition. Competes in aerial building and infrastructure inspection with comparable IR imaging capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- Cyberhawk: Global industrial drone inspection specialist serving oil & gas, utilities, and infrastructure. Competes for cross-border large enterprise inspection contracts and represents the global benchmark for drone-based industrial inspection.
- Pasco Corporation: Large Japanese geospatial and surveying firm with aerial inspection and measurement services. Broader incumbent with overlapping drone-based building inspection capabilities but a much wider service portfolio.
- Kokusai Kogyo: Japanese surveying, geospatial, and infrastructure inspection firm with growing drone-based capabilities. Overlaps with Drone Frontier in construction and infrastructure inspection but operates a much broader geospatial portfolio.
- Skydio: US-based autonomous drone manufacturer focused on enterprise inspection, public safety, and construction. Competes indirectly as an alternative drone platform for the same inspection use cases Drone Frontier serves.
- DJI Enterprise: Drone manufacturer whose hardware Drone Frontier both resells and uses for inspection operations. Acts as both supplier and macro-level competitor whose product capabilities shape the entire drone inspection market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Drone Frontier social profiles
Digital presenceDrone Frontier compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Drone Frontier financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Drone Frontier leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Drone Frontier subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Drone Frontier funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Drone Frontier M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Drone Frontier
What does Drone Frontier do?
Drone Frontier delivers drone-based infrared and visible-light exterior wall inspection services for buildings such as apartments, offices, schools, hotels, hospitals, factories, and bridges, using proprietary image-analysis software to detect tile delamination, cracks, and water intrusion without scaffolding. The company complements inspections with a roof-measurement app (Yane Hakarukun), an MLIT-accredited drone pilot training school (UST Tokyo), DJI drone sales, aerial photography for media and sports, and consulting to help construction firms adopt drone operations.
Is Drone Frontier a public or private company?
Drone Frontier is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Drone Frontier founded?
Drone Frontier was founded in 2017. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Drone Frontier based?
Drone Frontier is headquartered in Nishi, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Drone Frontier make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Building Inspection Services are the primary driver. The others are drone Pilot Training School (UAS技能教習所), drone Equipment Sales and Support, business Consulting and Implementation Support and aerial Photography/Videography Services.
Who are Drone Frontier's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Blue Innovation, Terra Drone, Sensyn Robotics, Aero Asahi and Asia Air Survey. Broad incumbents are Cyberhawk, Pasco Corporation, Kokusai Kogyo, Skydio and DJI Enterprise.
Does Drone Frontier have an API?
No public API is recorded for Drone Frontier.