Military Protection Glasses Market

Market Overview

Military protection glasses are made of multiple layers of glass with interlayers of various composite materials. These glasses protect the eyes of military personnel during combat. Modernization of warfare has paved way for the adoption of these glasses in every situation. To offer protection in various situations, military protection glasses are now designed to be heat resistant, UV resistant, and shatterproof. LazrBloc GF-8 lenses by REVISION (U.S.) are currently trending in the global market as they protect the eyes from the pervasive threat of green laser illuminations.

Globally, the military protection glass market is witnessing substantial growth and is expected to retain this growth momentum during the forecast period. Military protection glasses are precisely engineered for high-performance and challenging conditions such as combat operations, bomb disposal, mine detection, and surveillance faced by military personnel, which have major effects to eyesight, and thus, they are gaining significant attention from multinational companies. For instance, Oakley, a U.S.-based company, has invested in military glasses focusing on laser protection. Additionally, numerous terrorist attacks and political instability have highlighted the importance of personal protective wear to deal with events involving chemical, radiological, electrical hazards or bio-hazards, which further provides impetus to market growth.

Segmental Analysis

The global military protection glasses market has been segmented by type, material, and platform.

In terms of type, the market has been segmented into laser safety, bulletproof, fire resistant, ballistic protection, and others. The ballistic glasses segment is witnessing significant growth in the global military protection glasses market. Ballistic glasses are designed to protect the eyes in harsh military environments where personnel are exposed to extreme heat and frequent dust storms, which are commonplace in many combat areas. Most combat eye injuries can be attributed to explosions of high-energy projectiles and improvised explosive devices, which are designed to destroy, distract an opposing force and personnel or vehicles.

By material, the market has been segmented into glass fiber, sapphire, quartz, polycarbonate, and others. The sapphire segment is expected to gain significant traction, owing to the versatile military/defense applications of these glasses due to advantages such as scratch resistance from sand and other high-speed detritus, good transmission from 250nm to 5000nm, superior strength to normal glass and durability of surface quality during cleaning.

On the basis of platform, the market can be segmented into armored vehicles, tanks, soldier bases, aircraft, and others. Among these,armored vehicles are key application areas for military protection glasses. Increasing demand for armored vehicles to address the safety of military and paramilitary troops operating in terrorism and insurgency-affected areas is expected to upsurge the demand for military protection glasses during the assessment period, 2016–2026. For instance, According to the Indian government, the global demand for armored vehicles is projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.6% during 2015–2020 to reach USD 27.1 billion.

Regional Analysis

Geographically, the global military protection glasses market has been segmented into four regions, namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America and the Middle East & Africa (LAMEA).

The North America military protection glasses market is expected to witness significant growth during the assessment period, 2016–2026. This can be attributed to the increasing demand for armor in military applications, owing to the increasing number of improvised explosive device attacks and a rise in security threats. Technological developments and innovations in military protection glasses are also expected to provide impetus to market growth. For example, the U.S. Army and BAE Systems (U.S.) closely collaborated to introduce the breakthrough technology of night vision protection glasses, initiating a new segment with strong potential.

In Europe, the military protection equipment market is expected to witness healthy growth as the region faces challenges with the creation and development of potential military forces. Additionally, because of increasing terror attacks and internal political instability, there is an increasing need to provide body armor with enhanced ballistic features, which is a prominent factor driving market growth in the region.

Asia Pacific has noteworthy countries such as China, which has the largest military base, and India, which are pegged to be potentially lucrative markets for military protection equipment. The increasing focus on establishing self-reliant and potential military bases has led to the development of these countries as emerging markets. Additionally, border disputes between countries such as India, China, and South Korea are also anticipated to drive market growth in these regions. For instance, according to the Indian government, the Indian armored defines vehicle market was valued at around USD 1.5 billion in 2015 and is estimated to reach a value of USD 2.1 billion by 2025, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.4%.

The Middle East and Africa is an emerging market for military protection equipment, owing to the region’s developing robust military base. Globally, technological developments in warfare techniques have led these regions to acquire technical knowledge from leading markets such as the U.S. and Europe, which is expected to boost market growth.

Military Protection Glasses Market Segmentation

By Type

• Laser safety
• Bulletproof
• Fire resistant
• Ballistic Protection
• Others

By Material

• Glass fiber
• Sapphire
• Quartz
• Polycarbonate
• Others

By Platform

• Armored Vehicles
• Tanks
• Soldier Base
• Aircraft
• Others

By Region

North America

• U.S.
• Canada
• Mexico

Europe

• U.K.
• Germany
• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Australia
• Rest of Asia-Pacific

Latin America

• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Rest of Latin America

MEA

• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• Rest of MEA