Autonomous Military Aircraft Market Report 2025

This Autonomous Military Aircraft market report provides a comprehensive analysis of the market’s characteristics, size, and growth, including segmentation, regional and country-level breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends, and strategies. It also tracks historical and forecasted market growth across various geographies.

The autonomous military aircraft market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $4.55 billion in 2024 to $4.83 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to mission effectiveness, surveillance and reconnaissance, special operations, cost reduction.

The autonomous military aircraft market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $6.16 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.3%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to technological refinement, artificial intelligence and machine learning, armed autonomous aircraft, counter-drone technologies. Major trends in the forecast period include swarming technology, improved payloads, long-endurance uavs, electromagnetic warfare (ew).

Increased government investment in defense equipment, particularly autonomous military aircraft, to enhance military operational efficiency is a significant driver of market demand. For example, in February 2024, the US Department of Defense (DoD) requested a total of $310.7 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 for investment, including $167.5 billion for procurement and $143.2 billion for research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E). This funding request highlights the DoD’s commitment to supporting the implementation of the National Defense Strategy (NDS). As a result, increasing government spending on autonomous military aircraft is a key factor driving the growth of the autonomous military aircraft market.

The growth of the autonomous military aircraft market is expected to be bolstered by the increasing involvement of peacekeeping missions. Peacekeeping operations involve deploying national or multinational forces to regulate and resolve armed conflicts. Autonomous military aircraft (AMAs) can play a crucial role in peacekeeping missions by covering larger areas and responding to threats more rapidly. Notably, data from May 2023 reveals that 64 multinational peace operations were conducted across 38 nations and territories in 2022, with a 2.79% increase in international personnel serving in multilateral peace operations globally. This rise in peacekeeping missions is a significant driver of the autonomous military aircraft market.

The autonomous military aircraft industry is actively integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and specializing in software development, particularly machine learning and AI, which constitute essential capabilities for these advanced systems. AI technology empowers these systems to make autonomous decisions based on sensor data input, fulfilling operational objectives without human intervention. Utilizing edge processing, these aircraft can achieve higher performance, enhanced data security, and increased autonomy by eliminating the need to transmit data to the cloud. Initiatives like the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) focus on advancing AI technologies for individual and team aerial combat tactics, including dogfighting.

Leading companies in the autonomous military aircraft market are dedicated to developing innovative products, such as autonomous drone swarms, to deliver dependable services to their clientele. Autonomous drone swarms represent a collective of drones capable of collaborative, self-directed operation without human oversight, enabling communication among themselves and with the environment to coordinate actions toward a common objective. For instance, Shield AI, a prominent U.S.-based aerospace and defense technology firm, unveiled V-BAT Teams in October 2023. These multiple V-BAT unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can work collaboratively to autonomously execute missions, even in scenarios without GPS or communication access. These cost-effective autonomous systems serve the critical purpose of locating, tracking, and targeting adversaries across extensive distances.

In September 2023, Anduril Industries Inc., a distinguished U.S.-based autonomous systems manufacturer, acquired Blue Force Technologies for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition signifies Anduril's expansion and reinforcement of its existing autonomous capabilities within the Group 5 autonomous aircraft segment. Blue Force Technologies, also based in the United States, specializes in autonomous aircraft manufacturing. This strategic move aligns with Anduril's objectives to enhance its presence in the autonomous aircraft domain.

The autonomous military aircraft market encompasses aircraft operated autonomously from the ground, primarily designed for engaging surface targets with bombs or missiles and executing enemy target destruction in warfare. These aircraft are equipped with an array of critical components, including sensors, target designators, offensive ordnance, and electronic transmitters, among others.

In the autonomous military aircraft market, various technological types exist, including remotely operated, semi-autonomous, and fully autonomous systems. These aircraft serve different roles, ranging from fighter aircraft and bombers to reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, as well as airborne early warning aircraft and other specialized platforms. Key components used in these systems comprise flight management computers, air data inertial reference units, sensors, actuation systems, software, intelligent servos, cameras, radars, and transponders. Fighter aircraft, specifically designed for air-to-air combat against other aircraft, are among the prominent categories within this market.

The autonomous military aircraft market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides autonomous military aircraft market statistics, including autonomous military aircraft industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with an autonomous military aircraft market share, detailed autonomous military aircraft market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the autonomous military aircraft industry. This autonomous military aircraft market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

Major companies operating in the autonomous military aircraft market include The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, GE Aviation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, BAE Systems PLC, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI), Elbit Systems Ltd., Dassault Aviation S.A., Denel Dynamics (Pty) Ltd., Airbus SE, United Technologies Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Safran S.A., Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc., Textron Inc., Anduril Industries, Shield AI Inc., Thales Group, Cobham Limited, QinetiQ Group PLC, Endeavor Robotics (formerly known as iRobot Defense and Security), AeroVironment Inc., General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Aurora Flight Sciences a Boeing Company, Maxar Technologies, SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.), The Aerospace Corporation.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in autonomous military aircraft market in 2024. Western Europe is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the autonomous military aircraft market during the forecast period. The regions covered in the autonomous military aircraft market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the autonomous military aircraft market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Canada.

The autonomous military aircraft market consists of sales of automatic aerial vehicles such as autonomous fighters for military applications to carry weapons and destroy the targets. Values in this market are factory gate values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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