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Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing in the US Industry Data and Analysis
UAV manufacturers face significant volatility across commercial and military markets, grappling with unique regulations, emerging and disruptive innovations and complex commercial trade conditions. Companies have especially dealt with major contract cancellations as the DoD moves toward modernization and modularity, prioritizing the CCA program and tactical versatility over single-job drones. However, greater drone integration across both military doctrine and commercial markets has precipitated strong revenue growth. Climbing world tensions have also supported export markets, with the US government facilitating foreign military and direct commercial sales. However, commercial markets face extensive pressure from Chinese and other Asian drone manufacturers, despite increased tariffs and a potential ban on certain Chinese companies, like DJI. Overall, revenue has climbed at an estimated CAGR of 4.8% to $3.7 billion through the current period, including a 3.7% spike in 2025, where profit reached 8.6% of revenue.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released November 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States operates under the NAICS industry code OD4424. Industry operators manufacture and design unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related control systems for civilian and military applications. UAVs can be either autonomous or remote-controlled and are used in situations where the use of a human pilot is undesirable or dangerous. Related terms covered in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States include unmanned aerial vehicle (uav), unmanned combat air vehicle (ucav), unmanned aircraft system (uas), stealth and collaborative combat aircraft (cca).
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States include Tactical and low altitude UAVs, MALE UAVs and HALE UAVs.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States include General Atomics, Northrop Grumman Corp and Boeing Co.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed product and service segmentation, analysis of major markets and international trade data for the for the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States in 2026?
The market size of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States is $3.7bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States in 2025?
There are 49 businesses in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States, which has declined at a CAGR of 0.4 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States?
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States is likely to be impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a moderate share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States?
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States is likely to be impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a moderate share of industry revenue.
Has the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States has been growing at a CAGR of 4.8 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States?
The biggest companies operating in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States are General Atomics, Northrop Grumman Corp and Boeing Co
What does the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States include?
Manufacturing UAVs for armed attack and Manufacturing UAVs for surveillance are part of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States?
The company holding the most market share in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States is General Atomics.
How competitive is the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States?
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Manufacturing industry in the United States.
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