The ISR market is segmented based on platforms, into land, air, sea, and space. The land segment held the largest market share in 2018. The air segment, led by the increasing popularity of UAVs and communication systems, is expected to be one of the fastest-growing segments until 2024, and it is likely to control almost one-third of the market. The space segment is anticipated to attract significant attention, and it is likely to be the most-explored segment of this market. As seen in some new projects, at present, the market is moving toward consolidation and integration of ISR systems across all platforms, which may result in high efficiency and performance. In the air segment, the demand for electronic support/countermeasures (ESM/ECM), airborne C3, and surveillance/maritime patrol aircraft is expected to increase steadily, owing to the surging need for total situational awareness, air superiority, and survivability.

The United States is one of the leading countries, in terms of defense platforms and spending. The country also spends heavily, in order to bring collaboration between its naval, airborne, space, and land forces. The US Coast Guard’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems Acquisition Program is a multi-year effort to design, develop, and integrate the equipment used on the Coast Guard’s newest assets, including the national security cutter, offshore patrol cutter, long-range surveillance aircraft (HC-130J), and medium-range surveillance aircraft (HC-144A and C-27J). Currently, North America holds a major share in the market. However, market dynamics are shifting toward Asia-Pacific and the Middle-East. China and India are taking huge strides toward strengthening their armed force capabilities, and they are among the top five countries, in terms of defense spending, in the world. Also, both these countries have plans to enhance their unmanned aerial systems in the near future, which may propel the growth of the market in this region.