Spending on counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems in 2026 will reach USD12.6 billion, rising to 24.1 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 18%, according to the latest market research from Unmanned Airspace. The research combines data from both high-level market forecasts and individual contract awards.
“This is more than most other C-UAS market forecasts but most of these do not take into account the surge in spending recorded in the first three months of 2026 which reached more than USD29 billion in publicly announced contracts,” said Unmanned Airspace forecast editor Philip Butterworth-Hayes. “Our estimates take into account how these contract expenditures will be spread out over the course of the contract award period, and we anticipate the market will see growth peaking at just over 20% CAGR increases in 2027 and 2028 while dropping back to 15% year-on-year growth rates in 2029.”
What the forecasters say
The USA is by far the largest regional market for C-UAS systems.
According to Lt. Gen. Steven P. Whitney, Director, Force Structure, Resources and Assessment of the Joint Staff, United States Space Force, autonomous operations and autonomous offensive capabilities put forward by the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) total around USD54 billion, from a USD1.5 trillion defence budget proposed by President Trump.
“There’s also USD20 billion in requests for countering small drones or counter small UASs,” said Lt. Gen. Whitney. “We look at that as a capability that’s necessary that we’ve seen in the battlefields. If you look at what’s going on in Ukraine and their ability to have drone-on-drone type warfare and the ability to do so at cost and scale. It’s really something that we need to figure out how to take advantage of to protect our force. And so, we are making that investment in the counter-drone capability as well,” he said in a press briefing.
In March 2026 the US Army awarded Anduril Industries a firm-fixed-price contract with a cumulative total of USD20 billion of for the ten-year supply of C-UAS systems, including the proprietary, open-architecture, AI-enabled Lattice suite, integrated hardware, data, computer infrastructure, and technical support services. The second largest publicly recorded C-UAS contract was Poland’s SAN CUAS Programme, worth USD4.2 billion, which awarded to a consortium of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) to provide a “drone wall shield” on the country’s eastern border.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence is directly allocating USD25 million from its drone package specifically for the anti-drone protection of evacuation and logistics routes. However, the total national and international spending on Ukrainian C-UAS systems is vastly larger, integrated into massive billions-of-dollars air defence budgets and low-cost domestic manufacturing. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine directs USD 60 million monthly in funding straight to frontline combat units.
While primarily for offensive UAVs, these brigades use portions of this money to buy tactical electronic warfare (EW) jammers and anti-drone equipment directly from local suppliers. Meanwhile, partner countries within the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) programme – a NATO initiative launched in July 2025 enabling allies to fund the purchase of US-made weapons and ammunition for Ukraine – in February 2026 announced one of the largest support budgets for Ukraine, totalling USD38 billion for 2026, with USD2 billion allocated to air defence.
Spending on C-UAS systems is likely to be far higher than this. Germany said it will fund an anti-drone shield over Ukrainian cities, as well as drone assault units, as part of its USD13 billion budget for assistance to Ukraine. Norway and the UK are contributing approximately USD700 million each to air defence, with other countries, such as Turkiye, also providing dedicated air defence assistance.
Autonomous warfare systems, including C-UAS, now account for 80% of battlefield deaths in Ukraine, according to some sources.
While the USA and Ukraine account for most of the spending in this market, major new programmes for layered C-UAS defensive systems have also recently been announced in Colombia, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Urgent operational requirements among Arab Gulf states have also led to significant purchases of C-UAS systems. Ukrainian successes in bringing down Russian-adapted Shahed drones has meant that Ukraine will have a long-term industrial air defence presence among these states as they partner to pursue counter-drone capabilities, military training and industrial partnerships including research and production.
Accurate, timely and bespoke C-UAS market forecasts
The authors of the 2026 Unmanned Airspace Global Counter-UAS Systems Directory track each contract award, purchasing intention and high level C-UAS forecast. We provide miche-level forecasts for the following C-UAS sectors:
- Capture
- C-UAS uncrewed ground vehicle
- Detector systems
- Directed energy
- Electronic counter measures (ECM)
- Gun
- Integrated systems
- Intercept drone
- Missiles
- Munitions
- Others, including software
For each sector we provide the following information
- Market breakdown by technology type
- Key players and market share
- Current and forecast growth
- Industry, technology drivers
- Profiles of key industry players
- Opportunities for market entry
Sample reports and more information about the Unmanned Airspace C-UAS market forecast services is available from the editor Philip Butterworth-Hayes at philip@unmannedairspace.info
Sources
https://www.droneshield.com/counterdrone-market
https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/anti-drone-market
new-capital-cycle-as-counter-uas-market-projected-to-reach-20-billion-by-2030.html
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/counter-uas-market-111906
https://store.frost.com/c-uas-market-global-2024-2029.html
https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/counter-uas-market-7430
https://www.marknteladvisors.com/research-library/counter-unmanned-aerial-system-market.html