Military Radars Market Size & Outlook, 2025-2033

Military Radar Market Size

The global military radar market size was valued at USD 16.74 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow from USD 17.73 billion in 2025 to reach USD 28.04 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.90% during the forecast period (2025-2033).

In recent years, warfare has evolved into more complex dimensions, with threats becoming more mobile, elusive, and autonomous. These modern dangers are not only harder to detect but can also operate independently, making them more unpredictable and hazardous. The growing number of these threats has prompted nations to prioritize the protection of their territories at all costs, ensuring they can defend against potential adversaries.

As a result, there has been a heightened focus on enhancing radar capabilities, which serve as the first line of defense, offering continuous monitoring and early detection of intrusions over vast areas.

Military Radar Market Trends

Growing Focus on Next-Generation Radar Systems

There is an increasing demand for advanced systems, not just for detecting stealth aircraft but also for enhancing overall situational awareness. One of the key technologies driving this demand is the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.

AESA radars offer superior performance through controlled array antennas, enabling operations at higher (millimeter-wave) frequencies. This allows for improved resolution with smaller phased-array antennas, making them highly efficient for modern military needs.

Another technology gaining traction is Passive Radar, which operates without emitting signals, making it harder to detect and suitable for stealth operations.

Shift toward Multi-Domain Operations

Modern military strategies are increasingly adopting multi-domain operations, integrating efforts across air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace to create a unified battlefield approach. This shift necessitates the development of systems that can offer integrated situational awareness across these various domains.

• For example, the U.S. Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) system combines multiple sensor types, including ground-based radars, to deliver comprehensive airspace coverage, ensuring defense capabilities across multiple dimensions.

This trend underscores the growing need for adaptable radar systems in an increasingly complex operational environment.

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Military Radar Market Growth Factors

Rising Defense Expenditure

The growing geopolitical tensions and territorial disputes across various regions are leading to increased defense spending globally. Conflicts like the Saudi-Iranian Cold War in the Middle East, along with territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, such as those involving the South China Sea, are among the most destabilizing factors in international relations today.

Therefore, nations are reacting by boosting their defense budgets to strengthen national security. For example,

• In 2024, China's defense budget increased by 7.2%, the largest rise in four years, mainly driven by concerns over territorial claims and regional power struggles.
• Similarly, India's defense budget for 2024 saw a significant increase to reinforce its military presence along contested borders.

This surge in defense spending is fueling investments in advanced radar systems to ensure territorial protection and strategic dominance.

Growing Investment in the Development of Advanced Radar Systems

The increasing prevalence of stealth technology in modern military aircraft, which makes detection by traditional systems difficult, is driving the development of more sophisticated radar solutions. Stealth aircraft, such as the F-35 Lightning II and Russia’s Su-57, are designed to evade radar detection through advanced airframe materials and design features that bend radar waves.

In response, countries are investing heavily in next-generation radar technologies, such as Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars, which can detect stealth aircraft and provide more precise targeting and tracking.

• For instance, the U.S. has been developing the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR), designed to detect and track ballistic missiles and stealth targets over great distances. Similarly, Japan is investing in cutting-edge technologies like the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s new multi-function radar system to counter stealth aircraft threats.

These efforts are accelerating global demand for radar systems capable of early warning and detection, further driving growth.

Market Restraint

Cybersecurity Threats in Military Radar Systems

The global market faces significant restraining factors due to the growing threat of cybersecurity breaches in military systems. As advanced radar systems become more interconnected with other platforms and domains, their vulnerability to cyberattacks increases. This poses a major risk to operational integrity and national security.

• According to a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report, over 50% of defense contractors recently experienced cyber incidents, underlining the critical need for stronger cybersecurity measures.

These breaches highlight the importance of fortifying military radar systems against evolving cyber threats to safeguard sensitive data and maintain operational effectiveness. Without addressing these risks, the development and adoption of advanced systems may be hindered.

Market Opportunity

Integration of Ai and Machine Learning in Radar Systems

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into military radar systems offers transformative opportunities for enhancing radar performance and operational efficiency. AI and ML can process large amounts of data in real-time, improving detection accuracy, target identification, and threat analysis. These technologies enable radars to autonomously filter out noise and false targets, providing clearer signals and faster decision-making capabilities.

• For example, the U.S. Department of Defense has been developing AI-powered radar systems that leverage machine learning algorithms to detect and classify threats more effectively, even in cluttered or complex environments. Predictive maintenance is another key benefit, as AI can analyze system health and predict potential failures before they happen, reducing downtime and enhancing operational readiness.

As modern warfare relies more on rapid information processing and decision-making, AI and ML integration in radar systems opens new avenues for efficiency, reliability, and battlefield superiority, driving innovation in defense technologies.

Regional Insights

The North American military radar market is poised for significant growth, driven by key initiatives and programs such as the 3D Expeditionary Long Range Radar (3DELRR) and the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR). These advanced systems are designed to enhance situational awareness and provide comprehensive surveillance capabilities across various domains.

• 3DELRR, for instance, is tailored for expeditionary operations, allowing for effective tracking of aerial threats in challenging environments, while AMDR is integral to enhancing the U.S. Navy’s air and missile defense capabilities.

Asia-Pacific's Market Trends

The Asia-Pacific region is rapidly emerging as a significant player. This growth is fueled by extensive modernization programs aimed at upgrading legacy radar systems and responding to increasing geopolitical tensions and border disputes, particularly between countries like India and China. Moreover, the strategic focus on enhancing defense capabilities has led to heightened investments in advanced military radar technologies.

United State Market Trends

The United States stands out as a leading country in military radar technology, heavily investing in future upgrades to enhance advanced systems for air and missile defense, surveillance, and reconnaissance. The U.S. military's commitment to innovation and modernization ensures that it remains at the forefront of advancements, continually integrating cutting-edge technologies to address emerging threats.

Russia's Market Trends

Russia has established itself as a key player in the development of sophisticated radar systems, particularly focusing on air defense and long-range surveillance with a strong emphasis on electronic warfare capabilities. As part of its military rearmament program, Russia plans to allocate over $15 billion before 2025 to upgrade its air defense and radar systems, ensuring robust capabilities to counter potential threats.

China's Market Trends

China is actively modernizing its military radar technologies, integrating them into increasingly sophisticated missile and air defense systems. A notable example is the KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, which features advanced capabilities. This continuous upgrading of radar systems supports China’s strategic goals and enhances its defense posture.

India's Market Trends

India is prioritizing the development of indigenous radar systems as part of its broader defense modernization efforts. This focus includes investments in both ground-based and airborne radar technologies. In the financial year 2022-2023, India allocated close to $73 billion for defense, with a significant portion directed toward the development of indigenous radar capabilities, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign technologies.

France's Market Trends

 France is recognized for its advanced radar systems, particularly in air defense and surveillance, which are frequently employed in NATO operations. Among its notable systems, the Thales Ground Master 400 is widely used for air surveillance and defense, showcasing France's commitment to maintaining a strong defense infrastructure.

Platform Insights

The global military radar market is divided into ground-based, naval, airborne, and space. Ground-based radars emerge as the dominant contributor to the market, owing to their versatile applications, including round surveillance, missile control, fire control, air traffic management, moving target indication, weapon location, and vehicle search. Modern ground-based radar systems are designed for transportability, allowing them to be deployed by personnel or vehicles. Notably, ground-penetrating radars are integrated into military vehicles to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs), enhancing operational safety.

Applications Insights

The global market is divided into air and missile defense, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), navigation and weapon guidance, space situational awareness, and other applications. The air and missile segment has the highest market share driven by advancements in radar technology. Noteworthy innovations include ground-based air defense radars developed by Weibel Scientific, which are capable of detecting and tracking very low-flying, small, and slow (LSS) drones at extended ranges. Raytheon, another major player, integrates SPY-6 radars into U.S. Navy ships, offering significantly improved detection range, sensitivity, and target discrimination compared to legacy systems.

Components Insights

The global market is divided into antennas, transmitters, receivers, power amplifiers, duplexers, digital signal processors, graphical user interfaces, stabilization systems, and others. Antennas represent the most critical element, as they are responsible for sending and receiving signals. The performance of radar systems encompassing range, accuracy, and resolution hinges on antenna capabilities and designs. Advancements such as phased array antennas are increasingly utilized for quick scanning and tracking of multiple targets, which are essential for modern military operations requiring agility and rapid response.

Waveform Insights

The global market is divided into software-defined radar (SDR), conventional radar, and quantum radar. SDR technology stands out due to its ability to dynamically reconfigure radar capabilities, making it ideal for a diverse array of missions and threats. Unlike traditional systems that necessitate hardware overhauls for upgrades, SDR systems can enhance functionality through simple software updates, offering a more cost-effective solution for military operations. SDR systems can upgrade through simple software changes rather than hardware overhaul and are, therefore, more cost-effective in the long run.

Product Type Insights

The global market is divided into surveillance & airborne early warning radars, tracking & fire control radars, multi-function radars, weapon locating & C-ram radars, ground penetrating radars, weather radars, counter-drone radars, and others. Surveillance and Airborne Early Warning (AEW) radars are critical assets in military operations, significantly enhancing early detection and tracking of airborne threats. These radars empower military decision-makers to respond swiftly to potential dangers by providing real-time situational awareness. Modern AEW systems boast advanced capabilities, including 3D tracking, which enables comprehensive airspace monitoring and seamless integration with other defense systems, such as command and control networks and weapon platforms.

Frequency Band Insights

The global market is divided into HF/VHF/UHF, L-band, S-band, C-band, X-band, Ku-band, Ka-band, Multi-band, Naval, and Airborne. X-band radars, operating within the 8 to 12 GHz range, are particularly valuable due to their ability to deliver high-resolution imagery and robust target tracking capabilities. These radars are essential for various applications, including air surveillance, missile tracking, and ground mapping. Their versatility makes them indispensable in multiple military contexts, from air defense systems designed to counter aerial threats to reconnaissance missions that gather critical intelligence.

Range Insights

The global market is divided into very short-range (<10 Km), short-range (10 Km – 50 Km), medium-range (50 Km – 200 Km), long-range (200 Km – 500 Km), and very long-range (Above 500 Km). Medium-range radars, in particular, strike an ideal balance between detection capability and operational flexibility, making them suitable for a variety of applications. These include air surveillance, ground tracking, battlefield management, and missile defense systems. Medium-range radars are essential components in modern military operations due to their versatility. They are capable of adapting to different scenarios, from monitoring air traffic in contested zones to providing situational awareness during ground operations.

Company Market Share

Key market players are investing in advanced military radar technologies and pursuing strategies such as collaborations, acquisitions, and partnerships to enhance their products and expand their market presence.

Hensoldt Ag: An Emerging Player

Hensoldt AG is one of the defense and security sector leaders that has been aggressively engaging in military radar industries. The firm recently announced several innovations in its radar technology to enhance surveillance and further target acquisitions.

Recent Developments:

• In October 2023, Hensoldt unveiled the ARGOS 15 airborne surveillance and targeting system as a next-generation system with design capabilities to improve situational awareness and target acquisition of military operations.

List of key players in Military Radars Market

1. Thales Group
2. Raytheon Technologies Corporation
3. BAE Systems PLC
4. Lockheed Martin Corporation
5. IAI Group
6. Northrop Grumman Corporation
7. Saab AB
8. Leonardo SpA
9. Airbus SE
10. FLIR System Inc.
11. Hensoldt and QinetQ Group PLC
12. RTX Corporation
13. Israel Aerospace Industries
14. Hanwha Systems Co. Ltd.
15. Hensoldt AG

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Recent Developments

• September 2024 - Northrop Grumman secured a significant contract worth USD 1.1 billion to deliver advanced radar systems to the U.S. military. This contract underscores the company's role in bolstering the defense capabilities of the U.S. armed forces, focusing on cutting-edge technologies that enhance surveillance, reconnaissance, and threat detection.
• July 2024 - Hensoldt introduced the TRML-4D radar system, a state-of-the-art solution featuring advanced 3D air surveillance capabilities. Designed to enhance the detection and tracking of aerial threats, the TRML-4D represents a significant advancement in radar technology, aiming to improve situational awareness and response times in complex operational environments.

Analyst Opinion

As per our analyst, the global market presents numerous opportunities, primarily fueled by rising defense budgets and substantial investments in high-tech radar systems. Governments worldwide are prioritizing advanced military capabilities to address evolving threats, leading to increased demand for sophisticated technologies that enhance surveillance, reconnaissance, and air defense. This trend is particularly evident in regions like North America and Asia-Pacific, where modernization programs are being implemented to upgrade legacy systems.

However, the market also faces significant restraints that could hinder its growth. High procurement and development costs for advanced radar systems present a considerable barrier, particularly for smaller nations or defense contractors with limited budgets. Moreover, the increasing prevalence of cyber threats poses a risk to the operational integrity of military radar systems, necessitating ongoing investments in cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and maintain system reliability.