ELECTRONIC WARFARE MARKET SIZE AND SHARE ANALYSIS - GROWTH TRENDS AND FORECASTS (2024-2031)

Electronic Warfare Market Size and Trends

The electronic warfare market is estimated to be valued at USD 18.45 Billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 27.35 Billion by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8% from 2024 to 2031.

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The market is expected to witness high growth over the forecast period owing to increasing defense budget allocation for advanced electronic warfare equipment by various countries like US, Germany, etc.. With increasing geopolitical tensions, the demand for effective surveillance and protection has increased. Key players are investing heavily in research and development for the introduction of technologically-advanced solutions like cognitive Electronic Warfare. Integrating EW capabilities on various defense platforms like aircraft, naval ships, and land-based vehicles has driven the growth of the electronic warfare market. The adoption of EW is critical in modern warfare especially with increasing asymmetric threats and inter-country conflicts. Advancements in the fields of radar, communication intelligence, and radio frequency identification are expected to drive opportunities in the coming years.

Improving Adversarial Capabilities

With evolving geo-political tensions and increasingly sophisticated technologies being developed by various nation states, maintaining military supremacy is becoming all the more critical. While advanced nations have historically held an edge in electronic warfare capabilities, the gap seems to be narrowing at a far quicker pace than before. Countries across Asia and the Middle East that were traditionally not considered strong military powers are making heavy investments in this domain to bolster their defense systems. They are procuring latest generation jammers, intelligence gathering systems as well as offensive cyber weapons to enhance their strategic and tactical abilities. Further, state actors are also relying on covert hacking groups and private military contractors to intensify hybrid warfare techniques.

In March 2022, BAE Systems which is a multinational arms, security and aerospace company, announced the introduction of a new electronic warfare (EW) suite called Storm EW Modules. This technology provides both offensive and defensive capabilities and is designed to be adaptable for use across the U.S. and allied fleets. It can be integrated into guided missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters.

While inter-state conflicts have largely reduced post world war era, incidence of low intensity warfare within densely populated areas seem to be on the rise. Various militant and terrorist networks are now increasingly relying on urban centers to plot attacks as well as shield their activities. Such asymmetric belligerents exploit civilian infrastructure like telecommunication towers, internet servers as well as commercial satellite systems for coordination and information dissemination purposes. At the same time, collateral damage concerns seriously hamper the deployment of traditional weaponry against them. Over the last decade, warfare in dense metropolitan areas like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen have highlighted the need for specialized equipment that can effectively map, detect, and neutralize such agile enemies without significant environmental damage. Technologies like non-line-of-sight communications, compact jamming solutions, Radio Frequency sensors integrated on unmanned vehicles, and precision directed energy weapons are being developed to gain intelligence and conduct targeted strikes in urban combat environments.

In July 2021, Aselsan shared that it had provided the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) with the Next-Generation Electronic Attack System called SANCAK (MILKAR-4A2 high-frequency jamming system). This electronic countermeasure system was specifically developed for conducting attack operations against high-frequency band communication systems on various field platforms.