The military drones market has seen considerable growth due to a variety of factors.
• In the recent past, there has been a significant growth in the military drones market size. It is projected that this market will escalate from $15.93 billion in 2024 to $17.05 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.0%.
The advancements in the past can be linked to factors such as the surge in military spending, growing utilization of military drones, increased government investment in military drones, and reduced interest rates.
The military drones market is expected to maintain its strong growth trajectory in upcoming years.
• The size of the military drones market is anticipated to experience robust growth in the coming years. The market is projected to reach $21.93 billion in 2029, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%.
The growth in the given period is credited to increased government funding and the rise in internal and external security hazards. The forecast period is expected to witness significant trends such as strategic mergers and acquisitions, emphasis on the application of 3D printing, the use of the internet of things (IoT), the pursuit of implementing autonomous systems, and the implementation of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
The rise in governmental allocations for military drones to improve military operation efficiency is stimulating a surge in the demand to manufacture such drones. To illustrate, in May 2024, the VUL (Association of Unmanned Aviation), as reported by the International Trade Administration, an American governmental agency, expects a 40% rise in the worldwide count of commercially deployed drones from 2022 to 2030. Consequently, the growing governmental expenditure on unmanned drones is a key catalyst for the military drone market demand.
The military drones market covered in this report is segmented –
1) By Drone Type: MALE, HALE, TUAV, UCAV, SUAV
2) By Technology: Remotely Operated, Semi-Autonomous, Autonomous
3) By Type: Fixed-Wing, Rotary Wing, Hybrid
4) By Application: Search And Rescue, National Defense, Military Exercises, Other Applications
Subsegments:
1) By MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance): Surveillance And Reconnaissance MALE Drones, Strike MALE Drones, Intelligence Gathering MALE Drones
2) By HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance): Surveillance HALE Drones, Communications HALE Drones, Meteorological HALE Drones
3) By TUAV (Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle): Reconnaissance TUAVs, Target Acquisition TUAVs, Combat Support TUAVs
4) By UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle): Strike UCAVs, Armed Reconnaissance UCAVs, Suppression Of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) UCAVs
5) By SUAV (Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle): Hand-Launched SUAVs, Miniature SUAVs For Surveillance, Tactical SUAVs For Ground Support
The military drone sector is seeing a surge in interest in drone swarm technology because of its cost effectiveness and high firepower capacity. Consisting of a large group of small drones that collaborate to perform tasks such as reconnaissance of rival territories, search and rescue, and attacks on enemy entities, drone swarm technology is deemed as a remarkably efficient option. Rather than producing a single, costly drone, this technology focuses on creating multiple smaller and less expensive drones, resulting in significant time and cost savings for drone makers and end users. Advanced swarm technologies allow the military and defense forces to administer deadly drone strikes simultaneously in several areas. An example of this is the WOLF-PAK drone swarming system by Microsystems, which has the capacity to manage groups of small drones and have them move away from the group as needed. Halcon, an EDGE Group subsidiary, launched the Hunter 2-S, a tube-launched swarming drone system, in February 2022. Belonging to the Hunter 2 series, these unmanned aerial vehicles are expected to interact with each other to pinpoint and engage with appropriate targets, maintaining their positions. Communication between the drones is facilitated by a unique algorithm through a main channel, sending directives to each drone to execute their specific mission to reach the target.
Major companies operating in the military drones market include:
• Lockheed Martin Corporation
• Northrop Grumman Corp
• Thales Group
• The Boeing Company
• Raytheon Technologies
• General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. Inc
• Aerovironment. Inc
• Elbit Systems Ltd
• Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd
• Textron Inc
• Babcock International
• BAE Systems
• Panstwowe Wytwórnie Uzbrojenia
• Panstwowe Zaklady Inzynierii
• Polish Armaments Group
• Gyrofly Innovations
• Drone Livre
• Santos Lab
• Alexandria Shipyard
• Arab Organization for Industrialization
Asia-Pacific was the largest region in military drones’ market in 2024. Western Europe is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the global military drones market share during the forecast period. The regions covered in the military drones market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa