Unmanned Airspace
UK-based drone-industry intelligence and news publication tracking global unmanned-systems procurement.
Last refreshed: 7 June 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Unmanned Airspace
Published global C-UAS procurement data for Q1 2026
Drones: Industry & Defence: C-UAS spend looks like $29bn, reads $9bn- What is the Unmanned Airspace Global Counter-UAS Directory?
- An annual reference guide to counter-drone systems published by the UK portal Unmanned Airspace since 2017, updated monthly. The 2026 edition covers over 550 companies and 1,000-plus system descriptions, used by government procurement agencies worldwide.Source: unmannedairspace.info
- How much did governments spend on counter-drone systems in Q1 2026?
- Unmanned Airspace logged $29bn in Q1 2026 government C-UAS procurement, but roughly $20bn of that is the ceiling of an Anduril indefinite-quantity contract. Adjusted for that, actual Q1 commitments were around $9bn, compared to $12.6bn for the whole of 2025.Source: event
- Who publishes data on global counter-drone procurement spending?
- Unmanned Airspace, a UK-based drone-industry intelligence portal, tracks global C-UAS procurement and publishes the Global Counter-UAS Directory. It draws on open procurement announcements and contract filings rather than classified government sources.
Background
Unmanned Airspace is a UK-based specialist information portal focused on unmanned air system traffic management (UTM) and Counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems. Its Global Counter-UAS Directory, published annually since 2017 and updated monthly, is described by the publication as the world's only comprehensive guide to C-UAS systems in development or production; the 2026 edition lists over 550 companies and more than 1,000 programme and system descriptions. The platform also publishes market procurement data: it logged $29bn in Q1 2026 government C-UAS procurement, a figure requiring significant qualification — approximately $20bn of that total reflects the ceiling value of Anduril's indefinite-quantity Army contract rather than cash committed, reducing the effective Q1 commitment to roughly $9bn, still close to 70% of the entire 2025 total of $12.6bn.
The publication is edited by Philip Butterworth-Hayes and pitched primarily at government procurement agencies and industry suppliers seeking competitive intelligence on C-UAS capabilities. It covers sub-sectors including net-capture systems, missiles, intercept drones, and detection technologies. As a specialist trade publication rather than an academic or government body, its figures draw on open procurement announcements, contract filings, and industry submissions, and should be read alongside primary government contract databases for verification.