UAV Market : Market Size, Trends and Growth Analysis

Trends, opportunities and forecast in this market to 2020 by UAV type (small/mini UAVs, MALE UAVs, and HALE UAVs), application type (civil application, military application), and region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World)

Publisher: Lucintel Published: May 2026
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UAV Market : Market Size, Trends and Growth Analysis

Report Feature

Global UAV market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2015 to 2020. The major growth drivers of this market are increasing demand of Unmanned Ariel Veh

icle (UAV) for intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, and perform mission without risking human life.

In this market, UAVs are used in civil and military applications. Lucintel predicts that the demand for UAV in civil applications are likely to experience the highest growth due to automation of work in applications, such as agriculture, consumer product delivery and wild life security and initiatives, to provide airspace access to UAVs for civil applications.

A total of 39 figures / charts and 35 tables are provided in this 112-page report to help in your business decisions. Sample figures with some insights are shown below. To learn the scope of, benefits, companies researched and other details of the UAV market report, download the report brochure.




The study also includes UAV market size and forcast for the global UAV market through 2019, segmented by regions and markets as follows:
 
UAV market by type (Value $ Million from 2009 to 2020)
  • Small/Mini UAVs
  • MALE UAVs
  • HALE UAVs
UAV market by application type (Value $ Million from 2009 to 2020)
  • Civil application 
  • Military application
UAV market by region (Value $ Million from 2009 to 2020)
  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia Pacific
  • Rest of the World
On the basis of comprehensive research, Lucintel forecasts that the civil application of UAV is expected to show above average growth during the forecast period. 
 
Within the UAV industry, military application of UAV is expected to remain the largest due to increasing usage of UAV in ISR missions, homeland security, and border security. UAVs have been in service for several decades, but got high exposure in the last decade due to its high-profile use by US military in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In terms of UAV type, Small, MALE, and HALE are the three types of UAV. MALE UAV is expected to remain the largest segment by value due to acceptability of MALE UAVs in most of the operations. It can fulfill the need of long endurance operations at lower cost.
 
North America is expected to remain the largest market due to the high procurement by US government.

Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary 6. Company Profiles of Leading Players

List of Figures

List of Tables

Table 3.1: Major MALE UAVs and Its Specifications Table 3.2: Major HALE UAVs and Its Specifications Table 3.3: Major Small/Mini UAVs and Its Specifications Table 3.4: Market Trends in Global UAV Industry from 2009 to 2014 Table 3.5: Average Growth Rates in Global UAV Industry for One, Three, and Five Years in Terms of $ Million Table 3.6: Market Size ($M) and 2013-2014 Growth Rates in Global UAV Industry by Type Table 3.7: Market Size ($M) and Compound Annual Growth Rate 2009-2014 in Global UAV Industry by Type Table 3.8: Market Size ($M) and 2013-2014 Growth Rates in Global UAV Industry by Application Table 3.9: Market Size ($M) and Compound Annual Growth Rate 2009-2014 in Global UAV Industry by Application Table 3.10: Market Size ($M) and 2013-2014 Growth Rates in Global UAV Industry by Region Table 3.11: Market Size ($M) and Compound Annual Growth Rate 2009-2014 in Global UAV Industry by Region Table 3.12: Market Forecast in Global UAV Industry from 2015 to 2020 Table 3.13: Average Growth Rates in Global UAV Industry for One, Three, and Five Years in Terms of $ Million Table 3.14: Market Size ($M) and 2014-2015 Growth Rates in Global UAV Industry by Type Table 3.15: Market Size ($M) and Compound Annual Growth Rate 2015-2020 in Global UAV Industry by Type Table 3.16: Market Size ($M) and 2014-2015 Growth Rates in Global UAV Industry by Application Table 3.17: Market Size ($M) and Compound Annual Growth Rate 2015-2020 in Global UAV Industry by Application Table 3.18: Market Size ($M) and 2014-2015 Growth Rates in Global UAV Industry by Region Table 3.19: Market Size ($M) and Compound Annual Growth Rate 2015-2020 in Global UAV Industry by Region

Methodology

Lucintel has been in the business of market research and management consulting since 2000 and has published over 1000 market intelligence reports in various markets / applications and served over 1,000 clients worldwide. This study is a culmination of four months of full-time effort performed by Lucintel's analyst team. The analysts used the following sources for the creation and completion of this valuable report:
  • In-depth interviews of the major players in this market
  • Detailed secondary research from competitors’ financial statements and published data 
  • Extensive searches of published works, market, and database information pertaining to industry news, company press releases, and customer intentions
  • A compilation of the experiences, judgments, and insights of Lucintel’s professionals, who have analyzed and tracked this market over the years.
Extensive research and interviews are conducted across the supply chain of this market to estimate market share, market size, trends, drivers, challenges, and forecasts. Below is a brief summary of the primary interviews that were conducted by job function for this report.
 
Thus, Lucintel compiles vast amounts of data from numerous sources, validates the integrity of that data, and performs a comprehensive analysis. Lucintel then organizes the data, its findings, and insights into a concise report designed to support the strategic decision-making process. The figure below is a graphical representation of Lucintel’s research process. 
 

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Key Questions

  • How big the opportunities for Global UAV market by type, application and region?
  • Which product /segments will grow at a faster pace and why?
  • Which region will grow at a faster pace and why?
  • What are the key factors affecting market dynamics? What are the drivers and challenges of the market?
  • What are the business risks and threats of this market?
  • What are the emerging trends in this market and reasons behind them?
  • What are some changing demands of customers in the UAV market?
  • What are the new developments in the market? Which UAV companies are leading these developments?
  • Who are the major UAV suppliers? What strategic initiatives are taken by key players for business growth?
  • How is the competitive rivalry and threat of substitution in this market?
  • What are the recent M&A activities in the last 1-2 years in this market? What reasons can be attributed to these activities and how have they impacted the industry?
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