Unmanned Traffic Management Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Unmanned Traffic Management Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The unmanned traffic management market is expected to register a CAGR of 15% during the forecast period. Unmanned aerial vehicles witnessed increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the UNICEF report, eighteen countries developed drone delivery and transportation during the pandemic. Also, IdeaForge, a drone manufacturing company in India stated that the pandemic led to an increased demand for drones. The demand for drones for numerous applications is expected to grow further, thus, likely driving the market growth during the forecast period.

The unmanned traffic management (UTM) system is used to manage traffic operations for drones. UTM development would ultimately identify services, information architecture, roles and responsibilities, software functions, infrastructure, data exchange protocols, and performance requirements that enable the management of low-altitude uncontrolled drone operations. UTM is a technology that allows delivery drones and air taxis to enter future airspace with improved security. The system is jointly developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, and other agencies to manage unmanned aerial vehicle operations.

The unmanned traffic management software is estimated to show remarkable growth during the forecast period. The UAM software provides real-time data on all the UAVs in the airspace and informs pilots about the restricted and non-restricted airspace.

Rising demand for unmanned aerial vehicles and growing procurement of drones for various commercial and military applications from countries such as China, India, United States, and others drive the segment growth. Increasing investments in developing advanced software solutions for air traffic planning will drive market growth during the forecast period. AirMap Inc. developed software solutions that help military forces to manage UAV traffic over sensitive locations and complete tactical missions safely. The software provides visual intelligence and real-time insights to deployed soldiers to make decisions in the field. Furthermore, ANRA Technologies, OneSky, and Collins Aerospace developed software platforms to schedule and deconflict drone operations. Thus, increasing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles and growing expenditure on the development of advanced UTM software are projected to show remarkable growth during the forecast period.

North America held the largest market share and continued its domination during the forecast period. The growth is attributed to the presence of a large number of UAVs, growing investment in research and development, and increasing use of drones for military applications. According to NASA, there were more than 873,000 unmanned aircraft systems registered to fly in United States in 2021. Furthermore, in May 2022, Walmart announced a partnership extension with DroneUp for drone deliveries in 34 sites across six states in United States. Growing procurement of drones from United States for military applications drives the market growth. In October 2022, United States Border Patrol procured more than USD 1 million worth of tracking and surveillance drones from Red Cat subsidiary Teal Drones. Under the contract, the company will provide its Golden Eagle drones to the border patrol, designed to offer enhanced security and protection to agents in typically unmanned areas. Thus, the rising demand for UAVs for commercial as well as military applications will create demand for UTM systems in the coming years.

The unmanned traffic management market is consolidated in nature, with few players holding significant shares in the market. Some prominent market players are OneSky, Thales Group, Unifly NV, Frequentis, and Leonardo SPA, among others. With growing competition in the market, the key OEMs focus on developing advanced solutions for unmanned traffic management.

For instance, in April 2022, Frequentis and Austro Control launched a drone management solution to enable their safe integration into Austrian airspace. Austro Control is developing an Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system with Frequentis for the safe travel of drones. The system will be operational in 2023. The new digital traffic management system will ensure that flight clearances for UAVs are handled safer, faster, and more efficiently in the future.

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