$62 Billion Market For Unmanned Drones In The Next Decade

An MQ-9 Reaper taxis down a runway in Afghanistan. The Reaper has been flying in Afghanistan since September; it flew its first combat mission in Iraq on July 19. STAFF SGT. BRIAN FERGUSON / AIR FORCE

Teal Group Predicts Worldwide UAV Market Will Total Over $62 Billion in Its Just Released 2009 UAV Market Profile and Forecast -- PRNewswire

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) continue to be the most dynamic growth sector of the world aerospace industry, report Teal analysts in their latest integrated market analysis.

Teal Group's 2009 market study estimates that UAV spending will almost double over the next decade from current worldwide UAV expenditures of $4.4 billion annually to $8.7 billion within a decade, totaling just over $62 billion in the next ten years.

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My Comment: The U.S. will account for 70% of this market. This is a staggering amount of money .... especially when none (or very little) was being spent almost 10 years ago.

I personally feel that this dollar amount is low. Unmanned drones have proven to be very effective. New technologies can only improve this performance. They are also cheaper than manned fighter aircraft .... a fact that will not be lost by military planners.