Military Radar Systems Market Poised for Expansion: Rising Border Security and Air Defense Needs Lead Demand
The global military radar systems market is charting a steady upward trajectory, with insightful metrics from the MRFR report revealing a forecast value of USD 27.3 billion by 2032 and a CAGR of ~7.2% between 2024 and 2032. Given the evolving threat landscape—from unmanned aerial vehicles to advanced missile systems—radar solutions are becoming mission-critical.
Industry Overview
Radars have been at the heart of military operations for decades, but recent developments have elevated their importance. Modern radar systems provide not only detection and ranging, but also tracking, classification and even integration with command & control and sensor networks. The MRFR research identifies radar adoption being supported by increasing defence budgets, legacy system upgrades and intensified regional instability.
Key Players’ Role
In this competitive market, major defence contractors are pivotal. Companies such as Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Israel Aerospace Industries, ASELSAN, Leonardo, Thales Group, Raytheon Company, TERMA, BAE Systems PLC, SAAB AB and HENSOLDT dominate key segments. These firms bring the technological depth required for advanced radars, secure large governmental contracts, and shape the ecosystem of suppliers and integrators. Their role also extends to research & development, partnerships, and export strategies—especially as countries pursue localisation of radar manufacturing.
Segmentation Growth
The MRFR report outlines a detailed segmentation framework:
By Type: Multi-function radars, synthetic aperture and moving target indicator radars, weapon locating & C-RAM radars, surveillance & airborne early-warning radars, tracking & fire-control radars, etc.
By Platform: Land, naval, airborne and space-based platforms.
By Dimension: 2D, 3D and 4D radar systems.
By Frequency Band: VHF/UHF, L-band, S-band, C-band, X-band, Ku/Ka/K bands.
By Range: Very short, short, medium, long.
By Application: Air & missile defence, weapon guidance, air-space monitoring & traffic management, ground-force protection & counter-battery, navigation, weather monitoring, airborne mapping. In terms of growth, the air & missile defence application is key — as the need to detect incoming threats at long ranges becomes more urgent. Regionally, though North America currently leads, Asia-Pacific offers the highest growth potential due to increasing military expenditure in that region.
Market Outlook
The market outlook is broadly positive. Technological advances—such as solid-state electronics, digital signal processing, integration of artificial intelligence, and multi-sensor fusion—are expected to drive value growth. The threat environment (including unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, hypersonic threats) and the push for replacing aging radar inventories further support demand. However, high cost of systems development, geopolitical export restrictions and electronic warfare (EW) counter-measures could moderate growth. For companies, the strategic focus should be on modular architectures, software-defined radars, lifecycle support services, and partnerships to access global procurement. Governments should also prioritise interoperability and future-proofing. In totality, the military radar systems market is at a pivotal inflection point—with sustained investments needed to stay ahead of adversary capabilities.