UAV Radar Industry

The UAV radar market is projected to grow from USD 360.7 million in 2026 to USD 990.2 million by 2031, at a CAGR of 22.4%. Demand is being shaped by accelerated counter-UAS procurement, greater integration of radar payloads on military and civil unmanned aircraft, wider deployment of SAR/GMTI and maritime-surveillance sensors, and the need for reliable all-weather detection of small, low-flying, and low-observable aerial targets. The market is also benefiting from the shift toward compact AESA, MIMO, metamaterial, and software-defined architectures, which enable radar deployment on smaller UAVs while improving track quality, update rate, and multi-target handling in counter-drone networks.

Major market contributors in the industry include RTX (US), Leonardo S.p.A (Italy), Saab AB (Sweden), HENSOLDT AG (Germany), and Israel Aerospace Industries (Israel). Their portfolios span onboard mission radar, surveillance and detect-and-avoid sensing, as well as offboard drone-detection and counter-UAS radar. Competitive positioning is increasingly influenced by installed base, active procurement programs, UAV integration depth, radar architecture, software capability, and the ability to support multiple operating environments.

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RTX participates in the UAV radar market through Raytheon radar families used for airborne sensing and counter-UAS missions. KuRFS focuses on precision detection, tracking, and fire-control support against unmanned threats, while the company’s airborne radar activity includes maritime and multi-role sensing for platforms such as the MQ-9B. The company also benefits from deep integration with US air-defense and counter-drone programs, where radar is paired with command-and-control and interceptor elements.

Saab AB addresses UAV-related radar demand through the Giraffe family, with Giraffe 1X providing a compact, three-dimensional surveillance capability suited to mobile air defense and counter-UAS operations. The radar’s deployability and ability to support short-range air defense networks have made it relevant to customers seeking rapidly repositionable drone-detection coverage.

Leonardo S.p.A. is an aerospace and defense company operating across aircraft, electronics, helicopters, space and security systems. In the UAV radar market, the company provides airborne, ground-based and naval radar systems for surveillance, target detection and tracking, and counter-UAS missions. Its radar portfolio supports onboard ISR applications as well as offboard UAV detection, tracking, cueing and air-defense operations.

HENSOLDT AG is an important European supplier in the offboard UAV-detection segment. Its SPEXER family is designed for surveillance of small, difficult-to-detect targets and has been deployed in counter-UAV and short-range air-defense roles. The company has gained visibility through European air-defense programs and counter-drone deployments, where persistent detection of small targets is a core requirement. This program exposure, combined with HENSOLDT’s broader radar and sensor portfolio, supports a strong position in the rapidly expanding low-altitude surveillance market.

Israel Aerospace Industries maintains a diverse radar portfolio spanning UAV-borne and counter-UAS applications. Products such as the EL/M-2055 SAR/GMTI radar and the EL/M-2022U maritime radar support unmanned surveillance missions, while Drone Guard and other ELTA air-defense radars address external UAV detection and tracking. ELTA’s strength lies in integrating radar design, signal processing, mission integration, and air-defense experience within a single supplier group. This gives the company access to tactical UAV, maritime, border-surveillance, and counter-UAS opportunities across domestic and export programs.

Market Ranking

The competitive assessment indicates that RTX Corporation, Leonardo, Saab, Thales, HENSOLDT, and Israel Aerospace Industries – ELTA Systems are among the most noteworthy participants in the UAV radar market. Their relative strength is supported by radar-specific revenue exposure, breadth of product offerings, ongoing procurement and integration programs, an installed customer base, geographic reach, technology maturity, and participation in both unmanned-aircraft and counter-UAS applications. RTX and Leonardo DRS hold particularly strong positions in offboard counter-UAS radar, while Leonardo S.p.A., IAI/ELTA, Thales, and other airborne-sensor suppliers retain meaningful positions in onboard surveillance and mission radar.

Related Reports:

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

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