The defense drone antenna market was valued at US$ 539.42 million in 2019 and is projected to reach US$ 872.38 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.6% from 2020 to 2027.

Factors such as increased drone procurement by military forces due to higher defense budgets and mounting interest in circular omni-directional antennas bolster the growth of the global defense drone antenna market. However, signal overlapping issues with linear antennas may hinder the growth of the market. Despite limitations, the soaring R&D to introduce newer variants such as low-weight and 360? multibeam antennas is anticipated to drive the growth of the defense drone antenna market in the near future.

Military forces utilize unmanned technologies for purposes such as surveillance, communications, navigation, and signal intelligence. Military forces are continuously seeking advanced technologies with an objective to enhance the capabilities of unmanned vehicles. The linear polarized omnidirectional antennas are among the preferred antenna technologies. However, the preference for circular polarized omnidirectional antennas is rising at an exponential rate. The modern-day military drones need to constantly move or maneuver to gather higher volumes of information; thus, sometimes they need to adopt acrobatic flying. The circular antennas are smaller, which offer added advantage for easy maneuverability. In addition to smaller antenna size, the ability to transmit the collected data at 360? is gathering interest of defense forces as well as the defense drone manufacturers. Moreover, the military forces demand exceptional quality of captured data and images among the military forces, and these antennas facilitate the transmission of high-quality images during the drone flight at close proximity of the target. Such benefits of circular omnidirectional antennas are contributing to the defense drone antenna market growth.

The defense drone antenna market is segmented into technology, type, frequency, and application. Based on technology, the market is segmented into linear polarized directional antenna, linear polarized omni directional antenna, circular polarized directional antenna, and circular polarized omni directional antenna. In 2019, the linear polarized omni directional antenna segment held the largest share of global defense drone antenna market. Based on type, the defense drone antenna market is divided into lightweight antenna, FPV antenna, telemetry antenna, NLOS antenna, and others. The FPV antenna segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment during the forecast period. In terms of application, the market is segmented into surveillance, navigation, communication, telemetry, and others. The communication segment contributed a substantial share in 2019. The surveillance segment is projected to be the fastest growing segment during the forecast period.

COVID-19 is spreading at a rapid pace across the world, and in April 2020, China, the US, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK, Iran, and France were among the worst affected countries in terms of reported deaths and confirmed cases. On the defense side, the contractors are better positioned, as they are not expected to feel the adverse impact of COVID-19 in the short- to mid-term. While production is anticipated to slow down for the same reasons as in drone and its related components manufacturing, demand is unlikely to be affected over the next two years since the budget for these projects had been assigned prior to the pandemic and these projects are crucial to national defense. The recovery period of impact of COVID-19 on defense industry is foreseen to be quicker as compared to various other industries. The production of the equipment is expected to start at a slower pace in 2020 and is anticipated to gain pace from 2021 which is further foreseen to positively influence the defense equipment manufacturing including drone antennas. This factor is analyzed to predict the growth of defense drone antenna market during the forecast period.

The overall defense drone antenna market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast for the defense drone antenna market with respect to all the segments. It also provides the overview and forecast for the global defense drone antenna market based on all the segmentation provided with respect to five major regions-North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and South America. Also, primary interviews were conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry experts, such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants, such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the defense drone antenna market.

A few major players operating in the global defense drone antenna market are Alaris Holdings Ltd., Antcom Corporation, Antenna Research Associates, Inc., Cobham Plc, JEM Engineering, MP Antenna, LTD, PPM Systems, Southwest Antennas, Inc., TE Connectivity, and Trimble Inc., among others.