Mary-Louise Hoffman
A Govini report indicates the U.S. military unmanned aerial systems market has experienced a compound annual growth rate of about 6 percent over the past five fiscal years, Defense News reported Wednesday.
Lara Seligman writes the research firm observed the Defense Department‘s strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific region and efforts to implement a third offset strategy have helped drive a rebound in overall military drone spending.
Eric Gillespie, CEO and founder of Govini, told the publication that DoD’s missions to help address conflicts in the Middle East also triggered a demand for UAS.
The report said the U.S. Air Force has replaced the U.S. Army as the biggest buyer of drones among the four military service branches, awarding an estimated $1 billion in UAS acquisition contracts to manufacturers during fiscal 2015.
According to Seligman, Govini’s UAS market study indicated that General Atomics currently holds the largest share of the military drone market, followed by Northrop Grumman, Textron and Boeing.
