The global market for UAV Ground Control Station is projected to reach US$850.4million by the year 2027, trailing a post COVID-19 CAGR of 5.5% over the analysis period 2020 to 2027. Drone usage worldwide is increasing rapidly supported by the emerging age of autonomy & artificial intelligence. From remote monitoring to non-contact disinfection & delivery of healthcare supplies, drone technology has provided its salt amidst the pandemic. The U.S. is the world's largest user of military & commercial and is expected to account for over 40% UAVs sold worldwide during the period 2020 to 2027. Asia & Europe follow behind accounting for shares of 30% & 24% of global drone sales. The healthy outlook for drones throws the focus on drone communication & traffic management systems including UAV ground control station systems. Although the COVID-19 crisis is pressuring defense budget cuts and is causing moderate decline in commercial spending on UAV/drone technology, the overall scenario in UAV spending remains mostly healthy, thus creating optimistic scenario for UAV GCS market. It is estimated that world market for UAV GCS is expected to post 2.7% year-over-year (YOY) growth in 2020, as against 5.7% YOY growth registered in 2019. However, the prospects are expected to renew in 2021 with revenues estimated to exhibit 3.6% YOY growth. UAVs are a major force in modern-day military applications and battlefield scenarios.

With early generations of drones characterized by their large size and high cost, military agencies were the only ones to possess the specialized skills needed to operate these autonomous machines. In the past decade, UAVs have gradually transitioned from being expensive systems used solely by military agencies to an easily accessible commodity, which has opened up a slew of opportunities in the commercial space. Led by technology advancements over the years, accessibility and ease-of-use associated with drones has improved considerably, while costs have reduced substantially. As a result, drone technology is now emerging as a viable tool for individuals, government agencies, businesses and non-government organizations. Drones offer niche opportunities, allowing businesses to reduce costs and improve efficiencies. Improvements in software and hardware is further simplifying the use of drones enabling greater autonomy in functions such as data collection, collision avoidance, pre-programmed flight routing, active tracking, and Bluetooth communication among others. UAVs support a comprehensive range of military applications including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. UAVs intended for scouting purpose feature sensors and digital cameras, and are extensively employed to survey a territory, capture geospatial data, provide visual assistance to troops, monitor ground activities, and deliver military supply or humanitarian aid in a cost-efficient manner.

World market for UAV Ground control stations (GCSs) is expected to post progressive growth over the analysis period, driven mainly by the capabilities of modern GCSs in enabling efficient control & monitoring of UVAs, which have become vogue in a range of military and commercial applications. Increasing penetration of UAVs in the military sector along with growing deployments in commercial domains is poised to set a perfect ground for GCSs. By component, the global market is anticipated to be led by the hardware segment. Increasing use of unmanned systems and the resulting need for advanced functionality is likely to push the adoption of hardware solutions for managing unmanned vehicles and payloads. On the other hand, software segment is poised to fastest annual growth of 6.5% over the review period 2020-2027. UAV GCS integration services are contributing higher revenues to the market, owing to the need for advanced functionality as a result of growing applications of UAVs and evolution of sophisticated systems. On the flip side, cyber security concerns with UAVs and consolidation of GCC technology for controlling several unmanned vehicles remain key restraint for the market. GCSs are indispensable part of operation intended to control UAVs used in a diverse spectrum of military and commercial applications. GCS encompasses sophisticated software and hardware components that allow users to remotely control and communicate with the UAVs. The control is achieved by setting configurations for direct control or autonomous operations of UAVs. Generally deployed near or in operating or battlefield zones, GCSs can be located at different controlled bases. The increasing dependence on UAVs in battlefield operations, weather monitoring, law enforcement, research and several other areas makes GCSs a perfect solution for efficient, flexible control and monitoring of these vehicles. Operations of GCSs rely heavily on processing units represented by computers powered by high-performance processors or bespoke systems built around embedded computing platforms.