Tethered Drones Market is expected to reach US$ 2378.12 Million by 2031

Global Tethered Drones Market Forecast to 2031: Key Insights

According to our latest study on "Global Tethered Drones Market – Global and Regional Share, Trend, and Growth Opportunity Analysis – by Type, End User, Application, and Geography," the market was valued at US$ 429.07 million in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 2378.12 million by 2031. The tethered drones market size is estimated to register a CAGR of 29.3%% during 2025–2031.

The demand for long operational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) drones in military applications has surged globally. The growth stems from rising geopolitical tensions, increased defense spending, and rapid technological advancements, especially in AI, sensors, and unmanned systems capabilities. Modern battlefields and evolving security needs have established ISR drones as critical components for real-time situational awareness, enabling forces to gather actionable intelligence without putting personnel at risk.

Tethered Drones Market

The growing focus of armed forces on communications, security, and ISR operations is driving the adoption of tethered drone systems worldwide. While the battery-operated UAV systems commonly used by military forces can be rapidly deployed to establish robust communication channels and cover large areas, they provide a limited time service for respective operations. In contrast, tethered drones have almost unlimited power supply, allowing the drone to operate longer and supporting military operations for the desired period. As a result, several military forces are collaborating with various tethered drone vendors to develop and deploy advanced tethered drones for their critical mission needs. For instance, in June 2025, Elistair announced its participation in the European project SMAUG (Smart Maritime And Underwater Guardian). This collaborative program, funded by the European Union with nearly US$ 6.97 million, brings together 21 partners from 7 countries around a common goal of strengthening surveillance and protection of sensitive port and maritime areas. Elistair is anticipated to contribute to the project by integrating its advanced-generation tethered drone aboard the consortium’s uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), creating a persistent airborne lookout over port zones. In May 2022, Elistair announced that it had been awarded a framework agreement by the DGA (French Armament General Directorate) to supply ORION 2 tethered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Such developments are catalyzing the tethered drone market growth globally.

Wind turbines require periodic maintenance at regular intervals for efficient and constant operations, owing to which different technologies are used to perform quality checks and inspect them. Tethered drones can support the detection and identification of faults in the turbines by providing real-time visual footage to the operators. The wind farms have many wind turbines installed onshore and offshore. Operators often face challenges such as the immediate identification of faults and defects during their operations. Moreover, the majority of the wind turbine operators outsource their periodic maintenance activities for better management of their wind turbine operations. The wind turbine maintenance companies face severe challenges in manually performing checks of turbines and checking for all the errors and defects that lead to operational errors. Tethered drones help shorten overall inspection time, allowing more time to focus on identifying and implementing solutions.

Building restoration efforts require regular maintenance to ensure the effective preservation of older structures. These include thermographic images and inspections of intricate ornamentation on historic buildings, as well as thorough checks for minor building cracks that may arise from environmental effects or land surface conditions. Tethered drones provide real-time inspection and monitoring of such buildings, which helps identify the restoration work areas in less time, providing a growth opportunity for market vendors.

Road and rail bridges are critical infrastructures that connect two or more places. It becomes essential to maintain such bridges to withstand constantly increasing loads and function perfectly. However, extensive inspection operations often disrupt the usability of such bridges. Tethered drones provide a fast and cost-effective solution for conducting basic visual inspections beneath, alongside, and on the piers of these bridges.

Development of Tethered Drones for Commercial Applications 

The tethered drone market players are focusing on the development of innovative products to cater to different commercial sectors' demand, owing to which, they are collaborating with several companies of different commercial sector entities to understand the needs and provide them with a reliable solution. Apart from military applications, several other applications have been witnessed over the past few years that have been deploying tethered drones for a variety of applications. Tethered drones are integrated into autonomous vessels and port security systems for real-time detection of underwater threats, monitoring hulls, and securing shipping routes. The SMAUG project in Europe demonstrates how combined sensors (hydrophones, sonar, drones) create a multi-layered maritime security solution. Tethered drones are favored in environments with strict drone regulations, as their tethered nature increases operational safety, predictability, and restricts flight area, reducing concerns over airspace congestion or privacy violations. For instance, in February 2025, Eurolink Systems integrated a tethered solution to its Beluga mini-drone, expanding its use for defense, law enforcement, public safety, and other critical applications. The use of tethered drones in the commercial sector is pushing the tethered drone market vendors to develop new and innovative products to cater to emerging market demands.

The demand for tethered drones for long-term monitoring of critical infrastructures such as shipping ports and road traffic control across cities is another major factor pushing the vendors to develop such products for commercial applications. The ground monitoring system lags in offering continuous relaying of monitored data; thus, the demand for tethered drones has been on the rise in recent years. Tethered drones provide continuous aerial monitoring that covers the area of the port, which facilitates identifying any suspicious movement patterns; also helps in tracking the movements across the restricted areas of the ports. Due to such benefits, the tethered drone market players are experiencing higher demand for their products from shipping ports.

Global Tethered Drones Market: Segmental Overview

Tethered drones play a very important role in military and defense. The segment covers all types of military and law enforcement applications of tethered drones. It is the most suitable technology for border security and forward operating base (FOB) protection. As the drones can operate in any climate, they help monitor the camp’s perimeter and track enemy movements. In border security, tethered drones help in general security, surveillance at checkpoints, and monitoring of entry/exit points. The drones help monitor criminal and trafficking activities, as well as unauthorized border crossings. At FOB, tethered drones provide surveillance over a wide optical range, protecting the warfighters. Their cameras can detect vehicles and other large objects, thus providing time for the soldiers to prepare for the attack. Tethered drones are used to protect sensitive data in military zones, as they are resistant to cyberattacks and counter-drone technologies, making them especially valuable in areas vulnerable to infiltration or attack. Many companies, including Elistair, Hoverfly Technologies, and Viper Drones, manufacture tethered drones for military purposes. In addition, Zenith AeroTech offers heavy-lift Tethered Drone Systems (TDS) for military and law enforcement use. Hoverfly Technologies provides advanced military tethered drone systems explicitly engineered for maximum surveillance and security in extreme environments, serving the US and allied defense agencies with robust, field-tested solutions. Thus, the growing product development and technological advancements in the market are anticipated to drive the use of tethered drones for defense and military applications.

Global Tethered Drones Market Analysis: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments

The global tethered drones market report emphasizes the key factors driving the market and the prominent players' developments. Elistair, Acecore Technologies, Fotokite, Hoverfly Technologies, Novadem, Sky Sapience, Skyshot Private Limited, Mistral Solutions Pvt. Ltd., and Zenith Aerotech are among the prominent players profiled in the global tethered drones market report. The market players focus on new product launches, expansion and diversification, and acquisition strategies, which allow them to access prevailing business opportunities.

• In May 2025, Elistair, the French leader in the design and manufacturing of tethered drones for security applications, announced the award of a major contract to supply 13 surveillance tethered drones to the Greek company Terra Spatium. These systems will be integrated into Mobile Operations Centers (MOCs) for the Hellenic Fire Service. This project is part of the European “Resilience and Recovery Fund” program, which aims to strengthen operational capabilities in response to major natural and technological disasters such as wildfires, floods, and earthquakes.
• In May 2025, Bengaluru-based NewSpace Research & Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (NRT) successfully delivered the initial batch of its state-of-the-art Tether Drone Systems to the Indian Army. Announced on May 17, 2025, this delivery represents a key milestone under the Army’s first large-scale contract for tethered drones, awarded through the Fast Track Procurement (FTP) route. The deployment of these advanced drones highlights India's increasing self-reliance in defense technology and significantly enhances the Army’s surveillance and intelligence operations, especially in challenging terrains such as high-altitude and border regions.

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