Market Trends of Asia-Pacific Tactical UAV Industry
Military Segment Will Showcase Remarkable Growth During the Forecast Period
The military segment is projected to show significant growth in the Asia Pacific tactical UAV market during the forecast period. The growth is due to growing defense expenditure from China, India, and South Korea and rising procurement of advanced tactical UAVs for military operations. China’s People’s Liberation Army is increasingly deploying sophisticated, indigenously built unmanned aerial vehicles, like GJ-1, GJ-2, WZ-7, and WZ-8, into its military, primarily for ISR purposes.
On the other hand, India is also investing in the development of indigenous military tactical UAV programs, despite the fact that the country is currently reliant on countries like Israel for tactical UAVs for military purposes. To satisfy the demand of India’s armed forces, Indian-based R&D organizations, such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), are developing UAVs with ISR, targeting, and weapon guidance capabilities, like Rustom and Netra. Likewise, Japan is also planning to develop and deploy its own unmanned surveillance aircraft before 2030. Such focus on developing tactical UAVs indigenously is expected to enhance the market prospects in the region during the forecast period.
China Held Highest Shares in the Market
China held the highest shares in the market and is expected to continue its domination during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to the increasing focus on enhancing defense capabilities and the rising development of advanced tactical UAVs. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report published in 2022, China was the second largest defense spender in the world and largest in the Asia-Pacific, with a defense budget of USD 293 billion. The country of China, in recent times, has witnessed significant growth in terms of tactical UAVs as well as are engaged in developing various tactical UAVs to be used for combat purposes as well as for carrying out various other military activities. There has been an increasing trend in terms of UAV development by the People’s Liberation Army in recent times.
Over the years, China has emerged as a global leader in terms of UAV development. Additionally, the country is continuing to advance in terms of UAV technological development, and it is expected to play a major role in the UAV industry trends. The Chinese ground force has a number of UAVs that are primarily smaller, more tactical models, and they are often used for battlefield reconnaissance and targeting artillery to improve the precision of strikes. A significant proportion of these are part of a series produced by the Xian Aisheng Technology Group. The tactical UAVs of the country include BZK-005 or Changying, ASN-209 or Silver Eagle, WZ-9 or Soaring Dragon, EA-03, JWP-02, and the ASN series.
Also, rising political tensions between neighboring countries, growing tensions between China-Taiwan and China-India, and rising cross conflicts lead to the strengthening of defense capabilities, which in turn drive the market growth.
