Funding for U.S. military UAVs will reach $6.6 billion by 2019, according to a forecast by consultantcy Frost & Sullivan. This reflects a compound annual growth rate of 6.8 percent from $3.53 billion in 2014.
Spending will increase even though “demand for unmanned aerial systems from the U.S. Department of Defense is steadily decreasing as the planned production of several procurement programs draw to a close,” the study said. “Future spending will favor upgrades and logistical support for existing UAS platforms. Upgrades will particularly focus on optimizing the size, weight, power and cooling requirements of sensors and subsystems while reducing cost.”
“In the face of budget reductions, the processing, exploitation and dissemination (PED) of UAS data has been overlooked in favor of advancements in sensors,” said Frost & Sullivan analyst Michael Blades. “PED must be developed to respond to the unprecedented growth in data collection caused by the rapid proliferation of platforms and payload capabilities.”
Blades recommended that American drone manufacturers look overseas. “With competition intensifying as more foreign companies develop these highly capable systems, domestic UAS platform manufacturers must exploit opportunities in overseas military and commercial markets. Large, diversified UAS manufacturers can also aggressively evaluate and target smaller UAS firms, foreign and domestic, for acquisition and strategic partnerships in order to widen their consumer base.”
The study also predicts that miniature surveillance UAVs will become standard issue for ground troops, especially special operations forces, and that “lethal miniature aerial munition systems (LMAMS) will become the tactical attack weapon of choice over less accurate options, such as mortars.”
