UAV Radar Market by Scanning (Electronically Scanned Array, Mechanically Scanned, Hybrid Mechanical-Electronic Scanning, Fixed Aperture/Non-Scanning), Onboard Radar, Offboard Radar, Frequency Band, UAV Class, End User and Region – Global Forecast to 2031

The use of radar for all-weather sensing, autonomous flight, persistent surveillance, and counter-UAS protection by defense forces, border agencies, critical infrastructure operators, and UAV manufacturers is driving growth in the UAV radar market. Demand is rising due to a number of factors, including increased acquisition of unmanned systems, the need to detect low-observable and low-flying drones, the growing use of SAR/GMTI payloads, and the trend toward small electronically scanned radars that can be installed on smaller airframes.

Based on the current procurement and integration pipeline, the UAV radar market is projected to reach USD 360.7 million in 2026 and USD 990.2 million by 2031, representing an estimated CAGR of 22.4% over the forecast period. While onboard radar demand is growing across ISR, maritime surveillance, detect-and-avoid, navigation, and mission-safety applications, offboard UAV-detection radar now constitutes the larger revenue stream. This growth is driven by wider radar installations on tactical and MALE platforms, increased military UAV deliveries, expedited counter-UAS acquisition, and expanding use of software-defined, AESA, MIMO, and low-SWaP radar architectures.

“By Scanning Type, Electronically Scanned Array Radar Segment to Hold the Largest Market Share During the Forecast Period”

As manufacturers and system integrators increasingly adopt compact, fast-steering architectures for both mission sensing and drone detection, electronic scanned array radar is expected to capture the largest share of the UAV radar market. By avoiding reliance on mechanical antenna movement, AESA and other electronically steered systems enable rapid beam management, multi-target tracking, fast update rates, and adaptable software-defined modes. Throughout the projection period, this segment is expected to be strengthened by their growing use in detect-and-avoid sensors, multi-function surveillance radars, SAR/GMTI payloads, and counter-UAS systems.

“Defense Segment to Record Significant Growth During the Forecast Period by End User”

Military organizations are expanding counter-drone coverage and incorporating radar payloads into ISR, maritime, tactical, and combat-oriented UAVs. The majority of the additional demand is anticipated to come from defense clients. To support both new-build installations and upgrade programs, procurement is also moving toward networked sensors that can provide persistent tracking, target classification, and cueing across layered air-defense architectures.

“North America to Register Substantial Share During the Forecast Period”

North America is expected to remain a major UAV radar market, supported by a mature radar industrial base, large defense budgets, active counter-UAS programs, and extensive radar integration on unmanned aircraft. The region also benefits from strong development activity in compact AESA, metamaterials, detect-and-avoid, and software-defined radar, along with recurring upgrades to existing unmanned and air-defense fleets.

The breakdown of profiles for primary participants in the UAV radar market is provided below:

• By Company Type: Tier 1 – 45%, Tier 2 – 30%, and Tier 3 – 25%
• By Designation: Directors – 25%, C-Level Executives – 15%, and Others (Managers and Other Non-C-Level Executives) – 60%
• By Region: North America – 35%, Europe – 25%, Asia Pacific – 20%, Middle East – 10%, Latin America – 5%, and Africa – 5%

RTX (US), Leonardo S.p.A (Italy), Saab AB (Sweden), HENSOLDT AG (Germany), and Israel Aerospace Industries (Israel) are among the key companies considered in the UAV radar market assessment.

Research Coverage:

This market study evaluates the UAV radar market across its principal segments and subsegments and assesses the potential of each market across major regions and countries. The study includes an in-depth assessment of key participants, product portfolios, company positioning, integration programs, contract activity, technological developments, procurement trends, and the strategies adopted to strengthen market presence.

Reasons to Buy This Report:

The report is intended to help market leaders, suppliers, integrators, and new entrants develop a grounded view of the UAV Radar revenue opportunity and its competitive environment. It supports portfolio planning, market-entry decisions, partner identification, and go-to-market prioritization by combining demand drivers, restraints, country-level procurement signals, technology shifts, and competitive activity into a single market view.

The report provides insights into the following pointers:

• Market drivers (growth in counter-UAS procurement, unmanned ISR fleets, and low-altitude air-defense modernization), restraints (integration complexity, spectrum/certification constraints, export restrictions, and the cost of advanced AESA hardware), opportunities (compact low-SWaP AESA/MIMO radar, autonomous detect-and-avoid, software-defined processing, and multi-sensor C-UAS integration), and challenges (small-target detection in clutter, rapid threat evolution, false-alarm management, and interoperability across platforms and command networks)
• Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on UAV radar systems and radar-enabled solutions offered by leading suppliers across onboard and offboard applications
• Product Development/Innovation: Detailed assessment of emerging radar architectures, signal-processing advances, low-SWaP design, AI-enabled classification, detect-and-avoid capabilities, and product-development activity across the market
• Market Development: Comprehensive information on high-potential markets across regions, including procurement programs, fleet modernization, counter-UAS deployment, and radar integration opportunities
• Market Diversification: Detailed coverage of new radar products, adjacent UAV applications, underpenetrated geographies, recent contracts, partnerships, investments, and new routes to market
• Competitive Assessment: In-depth evaluation of market share, growth strategies, product positioning, radar portfolios, integration strengths, manufacturing capabilities, and program exposure of leading companies

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