Security breaches, illicit activities to fuel anti-drone market

Market news | December 26, 2018

By Rich Pell

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The report – which looks at the anti-drone market by technology, application, vertical market, and geography – expects the market to grow from $499 million in 2018 to $2,276 million by 2024, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.8%. Major factors driving the growth, says the report, are rising incidences of security breaches by unidentified drones and increasing terrorism and illicit activities across the world.

In terms of anti-drone technology, the market for laser counter-drone systems is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, as laser systems offer great speed, significant flexibility, high precision, and low cost per shot. Such systems – which are being developed by companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Rheinmetall Defense Electronics GmbH, and Raytheon – are expected to mostly find their applications in the military and defense vertical market.

During the forecast period, the “detection and disruption” application – in the form of anti-drone technologies – is expected to account for a larger share of the market. Anti-drones are used for detection and disruption applications, especially in the military and defense sector – which is expected to account for the largest share of the anti-drone market during the forecast period – where unauthorized drones that enter prohibited areas of any country need to be detected, as well as destroyed, on the spot.

In addition to potential terrorist activities, the use of drones for border trespassing, smuggling, and spying has increased. As a result, says the report, the demand for an efficient anti-drone system is expected to rise in the coming years in the military and defense sector.

However it’s in the commercial vertical sector where the anti-drone market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Key factors responsible for this growth, says the report, include increased awareness and rapid development of inexpensive drones in the market, where drones are evolving beyond their military origin to become powerful business tools in commercial applications such as fire-fighting, mining, surveying, and farming, among others.

In terms of region, the Americas is expected to account for a major share of the global anti-drone market during the forecast period. Factors contributing to the growth of this market include rising incidences of security breaches by unidentified drones and increasing terrorist attacks in countries in the Americas, especially in the US.

The growth can also be attributed to the presence of several key players in this region, including Airbus Defence and Space, Battelle Memorial Institute, Department 13 International Ltd., DeTect Inc., and Lockheed Martin. Other major players in the anti-drone market include Thales Group (US), Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd. (UK), Saab AB (Sweden), Raytheon Co. (US), Dedrone (US), Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (Israel), Security and Counterintelligence Group (SCG) LCC (Switzerland), DroneShield Ltd. (Australia), Liteye Systems (US), Theiss UAV Solutions LLC (US), BSS Holland BV (Netherlands), and Prime Consulting & Technologies (Denmark).

For more, see “Anti-Drone Market by Technology (Laser, Kinetic, and Electronics), Application (Detection, Detection & Disruption), Vertical (Military & Defense, Homeland Security, and Commercial), and Geography – Global Forecast to 2024.”