Tactical UAV Market Forecasts to 2030 - Global Analysis By Type, Application and By Geography

According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Tactical UAV Market is accounted for $3.89 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $10.14 billion by 2030 growing at a CAGR of 14.67% during the forecast period. Tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are heavy protection equipment used to reduce dangers and spot tanks and armoured personnel carriers. The main advantage of a tactical UAV is gathering useful information from an aerial perspective in the most demanding environments. They are frequently employed for activities including detection, categorization, identification, disruption, surveillance, and reconnaissance. They support crowd management, tactile surveillance, accident investigation, location monitoring, threat scenario alerting, and risk communication.

According to a statement issued by the Chief of Naval Staff, 2022, India procured 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion.

Market Dynamics:

Driver:

Increasing demand in military sector

The military application profile has seen a double growth in the demand for tactical UAVs. To meet the rising demand from the world's military forces, numerous purchase orders are either in progress or being made. Without endangering human life, tactical UAVs extend the battle commander's "eyes" past the enemy's front lines. They may be utilized to carry out a variety of operations. Their simple deployability and high-quality images are fueling the market expansion.

Restraint:

Vulnerability to technological flaws

Application faults, such as lost connections between users' remote devices and UAVs, can cause technical problems with UAVs and cause them to crash or take off. Another technological problem that reduces the duration of UAVs is the battery life. The overall lifetime of batteries reduces, especially in cold temperatures, resulting in a limited the voyage time and the possibility of malfunction. This susceptibility to technical issues element is hindering the market demand.

Opportunity:

Growing modern warfare techniques

Military operations have been modified by modern military technology, which has also changed the essence of the fight. UAVs, cyber warfare, and modern weapons have made it possible to target targets more precisely, lessen the risk to soldiers, and boost the efficiency of military operations. UAV advancements can be used to help ground soldiers by acting as a roving eye in the skies. They can be used to locate hostile positions, enabling forces to better organize their actions. UAVs may also be used to offer air-to-ground communications, which enables soldiers to better coordinate their operations. The expansion of the market is being fuelled by their real-time view of the battlefield and more precise and effective strikes.

Threat:

Cybersecurity concerns

The growing frequency of hacking incidents due to inadequate security measures is the main cause for concern. Due to their dependency on wireless connections and propensity to be operated remotely, UAVs are particularly susceptible to cyber attacks. To maintain privacy and security, a system for Uav authentication must be in existence. The right rules must be in force. Thumb/fingerprint permission or digital signatures may be necessary to accept in densely inhabited suburbs. The market's expansion is being hampered by a lack of security measures safeguarding UAVs against electronic assault, hacking, and hijacking.

COVID-19 Impact:

The covid pandemic has significantly impacted the supply chain of tactical UAV across the globe. It has raised the supply-demand gap. The manufacturing processes for tactical UAV have significantly dropped down due to COVID-19 implications. This is attributed to production shutdown and disrupted supply chains, thus hitting global operations and revenue of the market.

The short range segment is expected to be the largest during the forecast period:

The short range segment is estimated to have a lucrative growth. Short-range UAVs have ranges of up to 150 km or longer without refuelling. These generally have a multi-rotor design with space for a small payload beneath. They are typically employed for both warfare and surveillance, and they have extremely strong batteries that allow them to stay in the air for 8 to 12 hours. They avail benefits such as aerial photography, precision farming, monitoring of forest fires, rivers, and the environment, policing and surveillance, infrastructure inspections, product delivery, entertainment, and drone racing.

The military segment is expected to have the highest CAGR during the forecast period:

The military segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR growth during the forecast period. Around the world, military UAVs are desired for the quick delivery of supplies to war zones. On battlefields, they are used to supply food, ammunition, and medical supplies. UAVs also give a real-time perspective of the battlefield, enabling more precise and powerful strikes. They considerably lessen the amount of time military troops spend in danger or in battle. These elements are promoting the segment's expansion.

Region with largest share:

North America is projected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period owing to the increasing adoption of UAVs for commercial and defense applications. UAVs that are affordable, effective, lightweight, and capable of transporting heavy payloads over great distances have been the attention of manufacturers. These UAVs are perfect for business uses including last-mile delivery of goods, medications, and mail. By expanding its fleet of combat aircraft and tankers, Canada is concentrating on strengthening its armed forces, particularly its air force. The segment's expansion is being spurred by robust defense initiatives and expanding military centers.

Region with highest CAGR:

Asia Pacific is projected to have the highest CAGR over the forecast period, owing to the increasing R&D activities and increasing procurements by countries in the region. As a result of political unrest in the Asia-Pacific region, UAVs are currently being employed to protect the borders of those nations. In China and Japan, UAVs are being utilized more often to conduct inspections in the real estate, agricultural, and environmental monitoring industries. China is making significant investments in the defense industry and seeing an increase in the demand for UAVs for both military and commercial uses.

Key players in the market

Some of the key players profiled in the Tactical UAV Market include Saab AB, Aeronautics Ltd, Northrop Grumman Corporation, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin Corporation, BAYKAR, Textron Inc., BlueBird Aero Systems, Leonardo SpA, Elbit Systems Ltd, Safran SA, AeroVironment Inc., The Boeing Company and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

Key Developments:

In June 2023, Leonardo introduced revamped AWHero helicopter UAV for maritime missions. The modernized UAV kept some of its basic capabilities, such as the core avionic system, control station, data-link architecture, transmission, and rotor system. AWHero is designed to support naval and multi-domain operations such as anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, and combat support.

In April 2023, The Boeing Company launched VTOL Integrator UAS for ship-based operations. VTOL Integrator UAS uses a detachable quadcopter element that allows it to be launched from anywhere while retaining heavier payload carrying capabilities.

In January 2023, Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled a new small hand-launched loitering missile, or attack drone, that can land back in a soldier's hand without exploding. The device includes electro-optical systems to validate and collect surveillance information in real-time, as well as a warhead in order to destroy a target.

In October 2022, Lockheed Martin partners with Garuda Aerospace for new UAV deal. As part of the partnership, the companies will closely work to investigate prospects to create drone-based service applications in industries like industrial inspection, mining, large-scale mapping, agriculture and defence.

In June 2022, Saab AB and Robin Radar Systems have signed an agreement to collaborate on global business opportunities. The purchase agreement provides Saab access to the complete portfolio of drone and bird detection radar systems of Robin Radar for a range of international clients within the aviation and security sectors.

Types Covered:

• Short-Range
• Medium-Range
• Close-Range
• Low-Altitude Long-Endurance
• Low-Altitude Deep Penetration
• Medium-Range Endurance

Applications Covered:

• Civil
• Military
• Law Enforcement
• Commercial
• Other Applications

Regions Covered:

• North America
  • US
  • Canada
  • Mexico
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • Italy
  • France
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • Japan
  • China
  • India
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • South Korea
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• South America
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Rest of South America
• Middle East & Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • Qatar
  • South Africa
  • Rest of Middle East & Africa

What our report offers:

• Market share assessments for the regional and country-level segments
• Strategic recommendations for the new entrants
• Covers Market data for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2026, and 2030
• Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)
• Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations
• Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends
• Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments
• Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements

Free Customization Offerings:

All the customers of this report will be entitled to receive one of the following free customization options:

• Company Profiling
  • Comprehensive profiling of additional market players (up to 3)
  • SWOT Analysis of key players (up to 3)
• Regional Segmentation
  • Market estimations, Forecasts and CAGR of any prominent country as per the client's interest (Note: Depends on feasibility check)
• Competitive Benchmarking
  • Benchmarking of key players based on product portfolio, geographical presence, and strategic alliances