The tactical UAV market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 19.85% during the forecast period.

  • The growing sales of tactical UAVs are primarily due to the growing procurements of these UAVs by the armies provide a competitive advantage to them in the battlefield.
  • Also, there is an increase in investments of various countries of Asia Pacific region into the indigenous development of tactical UAVs. Countries like China and India have been investing in these UAVs and China already deploys a number of UAVs, which includes tactical and strategic UAVs, such as the ASN-209 tactical UAV system.
  • Integrating the technologies, like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, hypersonic technologies, and swarms of small drones into the existing tactical UAV technologies will provide future opportunities for the development of advanced tactical UAV systems.



Key Market Trends

Military Segment Dominates in Terms of Market Share

Due to the diverse military application profile, the demand for tactical UAVs has witnessed a multifold increase, during the last decade. Hence, several procurement orders are either underway or being placed to cater to the increased demand from global military forces. For instance, in August 2019, the US Border Patrol, a part of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) forces, awarded a USD 5.25 million contract to AeroVironment Inc. (AeroVironment) for Puma 3 AE. The delivery of the systems is expected in January 2020. Also, the global defense scenario has bolstered the R&D efforts divested toward the development of advanced tactical UAVs. Thus, the fresh procurement drives, as part of the fleet upgradation programs of the global defense forces as well as investments into the development of new UAVs are anticipated to drive the growth of the military segment of the tactical UAV market during the forecast period.

Rest of the World Segment to Experience the Highest Growth During Forecast Period

Rest of World segment of the market is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to increasing R&D programs in countries, like Israel, and increasing procurements by countries, like Germany. Furthermore, this growth is due to the increasing advancements in tactical UAVs in Russia and Ukraine. For instance, Anotov developed Gorlysta, a new tactical unmanned aerial vehicle, for the Ukrainian forces. This UAV multifunctional tactical unmanned aircraft consists of four unmanned aircraft, a remote pilot station, and a command and communication link. The UAV can also carry missile systems. The increasing emphasis on indigenous development of Tactical UAVs led by Russia and Israel are anticipated to accelerate the growth of the segment during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The market of tactical UAVs is highly fragmented, with several providers of tactical UAVs and UAVs that can be used for tactical and ISR missions. The key players in the market The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Elbit Systems Ltd. and AeroVironment Inc. with a highest market share in 2019. Boeing is involved in R&D of tactical UAVs, under its wholly-owned subsidiary, Insitu, which is a major contributor toward Boeing’s defense revenue from defense contracts. Northrop Grumman Corporation was selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as a Phase 1 Swarm Systems Integrator for the Offensive Swarm-enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program. As a part of this program, the company is tasked with designing, developing, and deploying a swarm-system, open-based architecture for swarm technologies in simulation and physical test bed. Furthermore, there are several smaller players that have constantly grown their market presence and are expected to play a key role in the coming years, as their technology matures and gains flight hours while building technologies and capabilities tailored made for their local users (military and non-military).

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