The European UAV satellite communication (SATCOM) market is estimated to reach $4.09 billion by 2033 from $3.55 billion in 2022, at a growth rate of 1.36% during the forecast period 2023-2033.
According to a new report from BIS Research, the expanding uses of UAVs in a variety of industries, the rising demand for multiband and multifunction antennas, the adoption of hybrid communication systems, and the rising need for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations are all expected to drive the growth of the UAV satellite communication (SATCOM) market in the Europe region.
Europe accounted for the highest share of 29.88% in the global UAV satellite communication (SATCOM) market by value in 2022, owing to a significant number of companies based in the region. The Europe region's growth is driven by growing awareness about the benefits offered by satellite communication in UAVs and the rising necessity of strong communication links for conducting various operations such as inspection, surveillance, and others effectively.
Increasing end user awareness and increasing applications of satellite communication, particularly across the military and commercial sectors such as military ISR, marine surveillance, surveying, and industrial inspection, is expected to drive revenue growth in the market during the forecast period.
The growth of the European market is limited by strict environmental rules for BVLOS operations of drones, security and safety concerns, and lack of trained pilots expected to have a negative impact on the market.
With the unmanned aerial vehicles market growing across commercial and military domains, the deployment of drones in beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) operations is also on the rise. The extension of the operational range for such missions is driving the uptake of IC engines to replace electric propulsion capabilities.
Given these circumstances, one of the consequences is the increasing need for SATCOM deployment onboard the drones deployed in such BLOS operations. The demand for UAV SATCOM solutions is growing and will only continue to grow. It is imperative for the market participants to better understand the key drone segments and use-cases where SATCOM solutions are a must-have, both from a forward-fit and a retro-fit perspective.