The USA will spend more than USD4 billion on counter-UAS systems in 2026, writes Philip Butterworth-Hayes
On December 18 President Trump signed the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. Included in the NDAA is the Safer Skies Act, which will allow State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) law enforcement and correctional officers to manage the threat of rogue drones, after years of being contained by federal law.
The Act gives SLTT security agencies the explicit authority to use technology to detect and track unmanned aircraft systems and the ability to disrupt or disable drones if a credible threat is determined. It also includes federal funding for the necessary technology and training to identify operators.
Under the current rules, federal security agencies have been the only organisations authorised to manage drone threat at sports stadiums. Currently, Temporary Flight Restrictions are set up around the arenas, typically banning drones below 3,000 feet within a 3-nautical-mile radius, starting one hour before an event and ending one hour after. But these have not worked. According to the US National Football League, more than 2,000 drone incursions have been reported above games over the last three years.
The Act is accompanied by significant federal financial support to C-UAS purchases. A USD 500 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant programme has been launched to help state and local officials purchase drone detection equipment. In fiscal Year (FY) 2026, USD250 million is available, “with funding prioritized for jurisdictions hosting National Special Security Events (NSSEs) or Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) 1 or 2 events, such as the FIFA World Cup 2026 and America 250 events,” according to FEMA with the remaining USD250 million, plus any unallocated funds from FY 2026, to be distributed in FY2027.
A separate USD625 million FIFA World Cup Grant Program, also managed by FEMA, is available for 11 states to purchase detection and tracking systems ahead of the 2026 tournament.
SLTT security agencies will coordinate their C-UAS purchasing, support, scaling and training activities with new Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (IATF 401) to ensure optimised coordination between military and civil C-UAS activities. The Department for Homeland Security Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate conducts testing and evaluation of various C-UAS systems and maintains specific lists for internal component guidance and grant programmes.
So where will the new money be spent?
The first task of SLTT security agencies and IATF 2011 colleagues will be to determine what the most likely threat to stadium and prison facilities will be. Is the main threat from commercial drones which can be easily detected by RF detectors and defeated by cyber-take over, AI based smart-jammers or net capture systems – certainly the main challenge for correctional facilities and local police units? Or will stadiums require a layered defence system, with RF, acoustic, optical, thermal and radar sensors networking within a command-and-control system, backed up by a range of mitigation systems, capable of dealing with a drone not emitting an RF signal? Such threats are normally only found on the battlefields of Ukraine.
The difference in cost between these two approaches is huge – perhaps USD250,000 for a basic RF detection/mitigation system to several million dollars for a fully layered network.
For most SLTT agencies the threat will come from commercial drones or DIY drones which still use commercial communications components which can be detected by RF analysers and neutralised by mobile cyber take-over or AI-based smart jammers, rather than autonomous drones developed with the backing of government agencies.
However, there is an increasing trend for police counter-drone units around the world to be equipped with more complex mobile, layered counter-UAS platforms. The Singapore Police Force uses an integrated counter-drone system developed with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency which features a range of sensors and communications disruption systems. Germany’s police force has recently gone a step further by organising counter-drone units equipped with a range of detectors, AI analysis tools to identify risks, jamming systems, interceptor drones and even firearms.
High profile stadium events which could be considered as a more likely target for terrorist attacks will require a layered, networked, systems, of the type which are currently going into operation at US Air Force bases around the world.
The military, across all services, have requested USD3.1 million for counter-drone systems in the NDAA, according to media reports (see sources), which means spending on C-UAS equipment in the USA next year is likely to be more than USD4 billion – especially when non-federal purchases are considered.
This is considerably more than most high-level forecasts for counter-UAS sales in the USA have predicted (see table below).
As with all C-UAS equipment purchasing decisions, the key determinant will be understanding the nature of the threat and potential actors involved. One complicating factor in the USA is that the deployment of C-UAS equipment will coincide with the deployment of more UTM systems, many of them using low-altitude radar sensors, to support growing numbers of more complex drone flights and initial eVTOL operations. Although this will give security agencies more capabilities to detect rogue drones, it will also mean the C-UAS and UTM system deployment will need to be carefully coordinated, so rogue drones can be identified as early possible in an increasingly crowded low level airspace.
High level views of the US counter-UAS market
| Forecast | Headline forecast | 2026 US estimates | Source |
| Mobility
Foresights |
The USA Counter UAS Market is projected to grow from USD 1.85 billion in 2025 to USD 6.92 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 24.5% | USD2.3 billion | https://mobilityforesights.com
|
| Grand View Research | The global anti-drone market size was estimated at USD 3,180.9 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 19,844.5 million by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 25.2% from 2026 to 2033. The North America dominated the global anti-drone market with the largest revenue share of over 44% in 2025. | USD1.83 billion | https://www.grandviewresearch.com
|
| Market Research Future | The Anti-Drone industry is projected to grow from USD 0.8594 Billion in 2025 to USD 8.004 Billion by 2035, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.0% during the forecast period 2025 – 2035
North America holding approximately 45% of the global market share |
USD482.5 million | https://www.marketresearchfuture.com
|
| Research Nester | The anti-drone market was values at 3.32 billion in 2025 and is set to exceed USD40.75 billion by 2035, reigersting over 28.5% CAGR . In the year 2026 the industry size of anti-drone is estimated at USD4.17 billion | USD4.17 billion | https://www.researchnester.com/ |
| Roots Analysis | The anti drone market is projected to grow from USD2.70 billion in 2025 to USD 33.97 billion by 2035, representing a CAGR of 28.8%. North American accounts for over 45% of the total. | USD1.56 billion | https://www.rootsanalysis.com |
| Precedence
Research |
The global anti-drone market size accounted for USD 2.97 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach around USD 26.26 billion by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 27.52% from 2025 to 2034.North America accounts for over 46% of the global market. | USD1.73 billion | https://www.precedenceresearch.com |
For more information
Billions for new uncrewed systems and drone-killing tech included in Pentagon’s 2026 budget plan
https://balticsentinel.eu/8372571/new-german-police-unit-formed-to-track-jam-and-shoot-down-drones
https://armedservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/fy26_ndaa_conference_text_legislative_summary.pdf
(Image: Shutterstock)
The Unmanned Airspace Global Counter-UAS Systems Directory is the world’s only comprehensive, continually updated directory of global C-UAS companies and systems. It itemises over 1,000 C-UAS products and services with performance details, company sales and partnerships arrangements. It is updated every month and broken down into niche sub-sectors (net-capture, missiles, intercept drones, detectors etc) to give C-UAS procurement and industry personnel a unique perspective of global C-UAS technical capabilities and market positions. It is available in word, PDF and excel formats and Unmanned Airspace readers are eligible for a range of discounts. For more information about the Directory please contact the editor Philip Butterworth-Hayes at philip@unmannedairspace.info.
