Border Control, Internal Security Drive UAV Market

So what's the future of the UAV market in South America? Expect it to grow, according to Phil Finnegan, director of corporate analysis with the Teal Group. A 2013 study of the global UAV market showed that Latin American countries spent US $71.1 million, a figure that will grow to $271.5 million in 2022. Over that decade, Latin American nations will spend around $1.7 billion on unmanned systems. That market has been "heavily dominated" by Israeli companies, but as the Pentagon enters a period of budget reduction, US firms are starting to turn eyes south, Finnegan said, although that won't likely lead to displacement of Israeli industry. "US companies are going to be making a push in the area, but the Israeli companies have a strong lead, and especially in a place like Brazil, they have a strong domestic presence," Finnegan said.