Work

Structural robustness of China’s UAV enterprise network: a national and provincial analysis based on business homogeneity

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction The rapid growth of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market has surged enterprises, exposing them to systemic risks from business homogeneity. This issue has spread not only within the same level of the industrial chain but also across different segments. Despite China’s enterprises spanning the entire chain as the largest market, their business structure and regional differences remain largely unexplored. Method This study constructs a three-tier UAV enterprise network based on overlapping business scopes among firms, forming upstream, midstream, and downstream layers, and examines its national and provincial structural robustness through topological characteristics and network dismantling experiments. Results The results reveal that national- and provincial-level UAV enterprise networks follow a power-law distribution, reflecting a “rich-get-richer” pattern. The national network is less robust than the provincial average, with downstream segments in delivery, agriculture, and other applications particularly vulnerable. Provincial networks exhibit strong regional heterogeneity; economically developed provinces demonstrate stronger internal coordination but are more fragile due to high centralization. Furthermore, provincial networks fall into four structural types with differing levels of efficiency and robustness. Discussion The study highlights how business similarity fosters local coordination but increases systemic risk through structural homogeneity. To enhance network resilience, especially in downstream and centralized regions, strategies such as modular design and region-specific coordination are essential.

Source: Frontiers in Physics

DOI: 10.3389/fphy.2025.1651460

Authors: Xuemei Zhang, Jianfeng Guo, Siyao Liu

Institutions: Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institutes of Science and Development, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Complex Network Analysis Techniques

Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,077