UAE air focus: Domestic industries set to dominate the $5.24 billion UAV market
UAE-based Edge Group is heavily involved in the the country’s UAV market. (Photo: author)
Foreign suppliers may be seeking ways to break into the guarded UAE drone market, where domestic firms dominate much of the US$5.24 billion value and a large share of spending is already tied to a single major deal.
The majority of the UAE’s estimated US$5.24 billion uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) market is likely to be spent before the end of this decade, new research from Shephard Defence Insight has revealed. Furthermore, forecasts indicate that the country could account for around 30% of the Middle East’s total annual spending between 2026 and 2028, peaking briefly as the region’s most valuable market in 2027.
Despite the evident value in the sector, though, there are reasons for foreign drone suppliers to be cautious. Just under 60% of the country’s UAV market value is tied to one already downselected procurement programme: the effort to acquire the MQ-9B SkyGuardian.
Additionally,
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