The ScanEagle UAV has been exported into Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, but it is also commonly operated by the US Navy, particularly in the Middle East

The ScanEagle has also seen active service in Afghanistan, where the uncontested airspace allowed for the widespread utilisation of manned and unmanned aircraft for surveillance purposes

Elbit Systems’ Hermes 450 tactical UAV has proved a success in Israel’s domestic market, as well as overseas

The British Army has been operating the Watchkeeper UAV since 2014, although five aircraft have been lost in accidents

The US Marines operate the RQ- 21 Blackjack, manufactured by Boeing Insitu, for tactical ISR duties

The Bayraktar platform, seen here in its prototype form, has been widely distributed among Turkey's armed forces
Turkey has achieved some success in the export market, with Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Poland all acquiring the Bayraktar TB2 tactical UAV

Turkey has achieved some success in the UAV export market, with Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Poland all acquiring the Bayraktar TB2

BlueBird Aero Systems' development of VTOL capability for tactical fixed-wing UAVs, such as its ThunderB-VTOL, is considered an important step by the company

Sales of military unmanned platforms continues to increase, with market reports indicating steady growth