Military Drones Market Report 2025

The military drones market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $15.93 billion in 2024 to $17.05 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing military expenditure, increasing the use of military drones, increasing government funding for military drones and low interest rates.

The military drones market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $21.93 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to an increase in government funds and increasing internal and external security threats. Major trends in the forecast period include strategic mergers and acquisitions, focus on use of 3D printing, use of the internet of things (IoT), focus on implementing autonomous systems and focusing on implementing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

The rising government funding for military drones aimed at enhancing operational efficiency is driving the demand for military drone production. For example, in May 2024, the International Trade Administration, a US-based government agency, reported that the Association of Unmanned Aviation (VUL) expects a 40% increase in the global number of commercially used drones between 2022 and 2030. Thus, the growing government investment in unmanned drones is fueling demand in the military drone market.

The rise in terrorism is anticipated to further stimulate the growth of the military drone market. Terrorism involves acts of violence that endanger others while demonstrating a blatant disregard for the harm caused. Military organizations and governments frequently employ military drones in counter-terrorism initiatives. Drones provide essential intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for monitoring and tracking terrorist activities. The necessity for real-time data and actionable intelligence in counter-terrorism operations drives the demand for military drones. For instance, in March 2023, ReliefWeb, a US-based non-governmental organization, reported that the average number of fatalities per terrorist attack increased from 1.3 in 2021 to 1.7 in 2022, marking the first rise in lethality rates in five years. Consequently, the increasing instances of terrorism are propelling the growth of the military drone market.

Drone swarm technology is gaining prominence in the military drone market due to its cost efficiency and enhanced firepower. Drone swarms, consisting of a large group of small drones, coordinate to perform various actions, including surveying enemy territories, search and rescue missions, and coordinated attacks. This technology offers cost and time efficiency by producing several small, cost-effective drones instead of a single large and expensive drone. Microsystems developed the WOLF-PAK, a drone swarming system capable of flying small drones in groups and enabling them to split away individually. In February 2022, Halcon unveiled the Hunter 2-S, a tube-launched swarming drone system designed for communication, tracking targets, holding positions, and engaging multiple targets simultaneously.

Major companies in the military drone market are introducing innovative products such as hybrid unmanned aerial systems to expand their customer bases and increase revenue. Hybrid unmanned aerial systems combine multiple propulsion systems or energy sources to enhance operational capabilities. For instance, in February 2023, BAE Systems Plc launched the STRIX, a tandem-wing, multi-domain drone with capabilities for air-to-ground strikes, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in high-risk conditions.

In January 2023, Highlander Partners L.P. acquired Black Sage Technologies for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition strengthens Highlander's presence in Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS)/Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and aligns with its strategy of partnering with technological leaders in these high-growth industries. Black Sage Technologies, a US-based manufacturer of military drones, contributes sophisticated technologies to enhance defense capabilities.

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, Państwowe Wytwórnie Uzbrojenia, Państwowe Zakłady Inżynierii, 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. The countries covered in the military drones market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Italy, Canada, Spain.

A military drone refers to an unmanned aerial vehicle specifically designed for military applications, including tasks such as border surveillance, battle damage assessment, combat operations, communication, delivery, and anti-terrorism weaponry.

The primary types of military drones are fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and hybrid. Fixed-wing drones are unmanned planes that operate without a human pilot on board. These UAVs can be remotely controlled by a human operator or operate autonomously through onboard systems. Various categories of military drones include MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance), HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance), TUAV (Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), UCAV (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle), SUAV (Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), and involve technologies ranging from remotely operated to semi-autonomous and fully autonomous. Military drones find applications in search and rescue operations, national defense, military exercises, and other strategic activities.

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

The military drone market consists of sales of military drones for purposes such as operations, surveillance, mapping, communication, and equipment delivery in military. 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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