Asia-Pacific (APAC) Anti-Drone Market by Platform Type (Ground-Based, Hand-Held, UAV-Based), by Technology (Electronic, Laser, Traditional Kinetic), by End Use (Military & Defense, Commercial, Government), by Application (Detection & Tracking, Interdiction), by Country (China, Australia, Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea) – Market Size, Share, Development, Growth, and Demand Forecast, 2017–2025

Asia-Pacific Anti-Drone Market Overview

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) anti-drone market is expected to reach $2,105.0 million by 2025, demonstrating a CAGR of 47.8% during the forecast period. This can be mainly attributed to the increasing incidence of security contravention by unauthorized drones. Additionally, rise in the number of terrorist and illegal activities, drone detection cases, and close encounters with commercial aircraft is contributing to the market growth.

Based on platform type, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) anti-drone market has been classified into ground-based, hand-held, and UAV-based systems. Of these, ground-based anti-drone systems held the largest share in the market during the historical period. However, during the forecast period, the market is expected to register the fastest growth in the category of UAV-based anti-drone systems. This can be mainly attributed to the growing shift in the end-user preference from conventional to advanced means of detecting and countering security threats posed by UAVs.

Anti-drones or counter-drones are primarily used in detection and tracking, and interdiction applications. Between the two categories, the counter-drones used for detection and tracking purposes generated larger revenue in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) anti-drone market during the historical period, accounting for over 50% share in 2017. This can be mainly ascribed to the increased investments by the regional countries for the development of advanced detection and tracking counter-drone systems to mitigate security threats posed by UAVs.

China led the APAC anti-drone market during the historical period, with around 35% share in 2017. The country ranks second in the world, trailing the U.S., in terms of defense budget. To strengthen the country’s defense capabilities, the government of China has been investing heavily in technology and armed forces. Besides, 7 out of the top 20 defense companies in the world are based in China.

Asia-Pacific Anti-Drone Market Dynamics

Driver

One of the major factors driving the growth of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) anti-drone market is the increase in drone detection cases and close encounters with commercial aircraft. Near misses between unmanned and manned aircraft have become a common scenario in the thronged airspace, leading to several catastrophic accidents. For instance, in October 2018, a Chinese tourist breached the security at the Taj Mahal, India, and took his drone inside the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)-manned area. Thus, security breach incidents at popular public places, such as historical monuments and airports, continue to encourage countries in the region to test and adopt counter-drone systems for security purposes.

To exemplify, in July 2018, the aviation security supervisory body of India, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), formulated a counter-drone plan to safeguard airports from the threats posed by UAVs. The plan laid emphasis on the use of the soft-skill method to jam or entrap drones instead of destroying them. Besides, in November 2017, China’s first drone defense system was put into operation at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The system generates electromagnetic interference to keep drones outside no-fly zones near the airport and reduce safety hazards.

Restraints

The growing concerns over public safety and the detection efficiency of counter-drones are restraining the growth of the APAC anti-drone market to some extent. Kinetic counter-drone systems are hazardous, as they employ techniques that interdict the target drone with physical means, which, in turn, causes the target to crash down at a high speed. Even net-based systems, which are armed with a parachute to bring the trapped drone down to the surface in a controlled manner, have proven extremely risky at times. Operations of kinetic systems are, thus, mostly restricted to remote areas and military environments.

Furthermore, detection technology in counter-drone systems has some drawbacks. Since consumer drones tend to fly at low heights and are comparatively smaller, they are often mistaken for airplanes or birds and their detection becomes difficult using the radar technology. Also, RF detection systems only detect specific frequency bands in the library and may not be much effective if a drone is not functioning within the direct line of sight of the sensor. These factors affect the product adoption rate in the region, thereby impacting the growth of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) anti-drone market.

Opportunity

Faster adoption of counter-drones in developing countries can be viewed as a lucrative opportunity by the players operating in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) anti-drone market. Even though the product adoption is at a nascent stage in developing countries such as Japan and India, a high demand for counter-drone technology for security purposes is expected to be generated by end users, such as defense and military forces, in the near future. Additionally, improvements in detection efficiency and interdiction range in RF jamming/spoofing and laser methods are expected to accelerate the demand for these products in the region.

Asia-Pacific Anti-Drone Market Competitive Landscape

Some of the major players operating in the APAC anti-drone market are SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd., DroneShield Limited, The Boeing Company, Thales S.A., Leonardo DRS, Saab AB, Raytheon Company, Liteye Systems Inc., Airbus SE, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rheinmetall AG, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., and Blighter Surveillance Systems Ltd.