I am not intentionally trying to be a pain in the butt in this conversation. But package delivery drones cost businesses in the United States typically cost $20,000 or more a piece. They are certificated commercial aircraft and have to be maintained to standards set by the FAA with repairs made by trained and authorized personnel. These companies can't just use any piece of Chinese crap found on Alibaba. They have to use a Certificated piece of Chinese crap
Companies who want to make deliveries by drone have to comply with a plethora of requirements and regulations and obtain numerous exemptions not just from the FAA, but from state and local entities. It is a complex and expensive maze of BS and red tape that few people have any comprehension of. As an aircraft owner for over 30 years, I can tell you that complying with FAA rules and regulation and their certification process causes parts and maintenance expenses to cost somewhere between 3 and 20 times what it would cost for an uncertificated aircraft in many cases. And complying with "the rules" which are constantly evolving for delivery drones are even more iffy and complex to the point that I am surprised that any business is even bothering with it.
This is why homebuilt experimental aircraft are as popular as they are... it is not so much the joy of spending months or years constructing your home-made winged hangar queen... it is the money. It is also a way to get around a whole lot of the regulatory nightmare.
If the drone was hit by a bullet; I can pretty much guarantee that the entire drone would be required to be completely torn down and inspected. Just that could easily cost over $1000. The batteries alone for these large drones’ cost $100s or $1000s and even if the case was just nicked I am certain that the entire battery would have to be replaced along with any other parts which might have been slightly damaged.
The best drone that I currently own is worth less than $500 and I am personally able to do repairs on it since it is used just for fun. But even it would face increased scrutiny if it were used for commercial purposes. All of a sudden it's a different and more expensive state of affairs.
These days when an electric vehicle gets a scratch on the underside of the battery compartment insurance companies sometime require the entire vehicle to be totaled. These days we are living in a new reality. To me $2500 sounds like it is likely right in the ballpark.
