Aerostat Systems Market By Shape (Spheroidal, Ellipsoidal), Class (Small, Medium, Large), Payload (Communication Systems, Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Systems, Surveillance Radar, Navigation Systems), Application (Defense, Homeland Security, Commercial & Others) - Growth, Share, Opportunities & Competitive Analysis, 2015 - 2022

Due to persistent surveillance capability coupled with low cost, the aerostat systems have become popular for various applications across the defense sector. Aerostat systems are tethered airborne platforms designed to deliver persistent services such as communication, surveillance, electronic intelligence gathering and others. The research report on aerostat systems provides an in-depth analysis of different market segments such as balloon shape, aerostat class, payload, applications and geographical regions. 

The report also includes a section on market positioning analysis of the key players operating in the market. The section also includes detailed analysis of various business strategies adopted by the leading players in market. The aerostat systems market worldwide stood at revenue of US$ 3,758.9 Mn in 2014. The market is expected to expand with a CAGR of 12.9% during the forecast period from 2015 to 2022.

Purpose of the Report
The purpose of this strategic research study titled “Global Aerostat Systems Market- Growth, Share, Opportunities and Competitive Analysis, 2015 – 2022” is to offer industry investors, company executives, and industry participants with in-depth insights to enable them make informed strategic decisions related to the opportunities in the global aerostat systems industry.

Target Audience

• Industry Investors
• Aerostat Systems Manufacturers
• Payload Equipment Manufacturers
• End-users
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USPs and Key Offerings
The report titled “Global Aerostat Systems Market- Growth, Share, Opportunities and Competitive Analysis, 2015 – 2022” offers strategic insights into the global aerostat systems market along with the market size and estimates for the duration 2013 to 2022. The said research study covers in-depth analysis of multiple market segments based on product types, payloads, applications and cross-sectional study across different geographies. In order to help strategic decision makers, the report also includes competitive profiling of the leading aerostat system manufacturers, their SCOT (Strength, Challenges, Opportunities and Weaknesses) analysis, market positioning and key developments. Other in-depth analysis provided in the report includes:

• Current and future market trends to justify the forthcoming attractive markets within the aerostat systems industry
• Market fuelers, market impediments, and their impact on the market growth
• In-depth competitive environment analysis
• Value Chain Analysis
• Regulations Overview: Aerostat Systems Market
• Trailing 2-Year market size data (2013 – 2014)
• SRC (Segment-Region-Country) Analysis
•  

Overall, the research study provides a holistic view of the global aerostat systems market, offering market size and estimates for the period from 2015 to 2022, keeping in mind the above mentioned factors.

Application Segmentation Analysis
The aerostat systems market is categorized, on the basis of end-use applications, into following segments:

• Defense
• Homeland Security
• Commercial
• Others (Environmental Monitoring, Time Synchronization etc.)

The global aerostat systems market, on the basis of end-use applications, was dominated by the defense segment, as of 2014; comprising a market share of over half of the total market, in terms of revenue, worldwide. The aerostat systems are majorly used for surveillance across borders. Since these systems offer persistent surveillance for several months with minimal maintenance, these are the most preferred type of platforms for surveillance across different areas.

Apart from land borders, aerostat systems are also used for surveillance in other defense segments such as air and maritime surveillance. Due to better cost effectiveness and ease of operation, the aerostat systems are expected to retain their prominent position for surveillance application. As a result, the defense sector is expected to hold its dominant position, in terms of revenue, throughout the forecast period in the global market. Nevertheless, the commercial segment is expected to register the highest CAGR through 2015 to 2022, globally. The commercial segment comprises the use of aerostat systems for commercial applications such as communication, aerial imaging, commercial advertising, event monitoring and other broadcasting services. With expanding adoption of aerostat systems, especially in the communication sector, the segment is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period.

Payload Segmentation Analysis
Aerostat systems market is categorized, based on the types of payload, into following segments:

• Communication Systems
• Surveillance Radar Systems
• Electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) Systems
• Navigation Systems

As of 2014, the market for aerostat systems was dominated by the surveillance radar systems segment with a market share of more than 40%, in terms of revenue, globally. Surveillance radars are surveillance systems that are mounted on the aerostat for detection of various objects such as ships, aircrafts and other obstacles. Surveillance radars form the most common type of payloads used on aerostat systems. 

These systems are largely used in military applications for persistent threat detection. Due to strong anticipated need for surveillance systems worldwide, the segment is estimated to retain its dominant position in the market throughout the forecast period. Further, with growing precision in electronic intelligence, the electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) systems are expected to rapidly capture the aerostat systems market in surveillance application. EO/IR systems are among the most advanced and accurate payloads used for surveillance and imaging purposes.

These systems are capable of detecting objects even during the dark hours thereby delivering accurate surveillance and imaging. Furthermore, the communication systems segment is expected to register the highest growth rate in the coming years. The communication segment growth is expected to be mainly driven by the major ongoing projects based on the concept of delivering wireless communication through aerostat systems.

On the basis of geography, the global aerostat systems market is segmented as per following regions and countries.

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Rest of North America
• Europe
  • EU7
  • CIS
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • Japan
  • China
  • India
  • Australasia
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• Rest of the World
  • Middle East and Africa
  • Latin America
  •  

In 2014, the global aerostat systems market was dominated by North America accounting for market share, in terms of revenue, of over 36% of the total market. The U.S. is the largest consumer for aerostat systems as compared to other countries worldwide. This is mainly due to high spending on aerostat systems for robust surveillance along the border and civil areas. Additionally, due to presence of large number of companies in the region, the market here is competitive and dynamic in nature. As a result, the region is estimated to hold its dominant position in the market, in terms of revenue and adoption, throughout the forecast period. However, Asia Pacific is expected to emerge as the most promising market for aerostat systems in the coming years. The market growth in region is mainly driven by China, India, Japan and some of the Southeast Asia countries. Additionally, due to upcoming projects for balloon-based wireless communication, the demand for large class spheroidal aerostat systems is expected to soar substantially in the coming years.

Hismation: Aerostat Systems
Aerostat systems refer to airborne platforms, similar to blimps, which are designed to stay aloft for several days/months. The aerostat systems gain lift with the help of lighter-than-air (LTA) gases such as hydrogen, helium and others. The basic components of aerostat systems include aerostat envelope, lifting gas, mooring station, tethering rope, winches, payload and ground control station. The operational stages involved in a tethered aerostat system are inflation, mooring, lift-off, flight, deflation and recovery. Due to their consistent buoyancy, aerostat systems are used for several applications such as surveillance, electronic intelligence gathering, aerial imaging, communication and others. Aerostat systems are among the cheapest alternatives for unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites and hence are expected to be used on a large scale in the coming years.

Aerostat systems have been in use since early 80’s for surveillance applications, majorly in the U.S. defense sector. Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) is among the first aerostat systems used for surveillance purpose. These systems were used to have persistent surveillance with minimal initial and maintenance cost. 

The most prominent deployment site for aerostat surveillance systems was the U.S.-Mexico border for curbing illegal immigration and drug trafficking along the border. Thus, over the period of time, surveillance emerged as the most prominent application of the aerostat systems. Nevertheless, with advancements in the sizes and payload carrying capacity, aerostat systems are now used for various other applications such as environment monitoring, communication and EO/IR imaging. Depending upon the tether length and class (size), these systems can operate at altitudes ranging from few hundred feet up to 65,000 feet from the Earth’s surface.

Traditionally, the envelope for aerostat systems was available only in the ellipsoidal shape. This however, results in greater drag resulting into possibility of blowing of the aerostat systems in strong winds. Consequently, several new designs are emerging for making the aerostat systems operation more reliable and stable. Some of the aerostat systems manufacturers are now turning towards spheroidal and multiple hull ellipsoidal aerostat systems for better operation. 

For instance, the spheroidal aerostat systems offer better aerodynamics as compared to ellipsoidal aerostat systems. Hence, they can better withstand strong winds and remain aloft for longer period of time. Through these advanced designs, aerostat systems are capable of withstanding harsh environments at high altitudes. For instance, the wireless communication project called the Project Loon by Google, Inc. is designed to use high performance spheroidal aerostat systems in the high altitude category.

Based on the balloon shape, the aerostat systems market is segmented into spheroidal and ellipsoidal aerostat systems. On the basis of class, the market is segmented into small-class (<20m), medium-class (21m to 50m) and large-class (>51m) aerostat systems. Further, the market is segmented, on the basis of applications, into military, homeland security, commercial and others. The others segment comprises environmental monitoring, time synchronization and traffic monitoring. Different payloads considered under the scope include surveillance radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) systems, communication systems and navigation systems.