Global electronic warfare market to reach $11.8 billion by 2031, driven by advances in cognitive and miniaturization technologies, says GlobalData

The push to integrate stealth technology and electronic warfare (EW) capabilities into military equipment is expected to drive the growth of EW systems over the next decade. The global electronic warfare (GEW) market is expected to reach $11.8 billion by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.22%, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Global Electronic Warfare Market 2021-2031’, reveals that the key trends driving the demand for EW systems over the next decade will include the development of cognitive EW technologies, the incorporation of Gallium-Nitride (GaN) technology into phased-array antennas and miniaturization of EW systems.

Venkatesh Kandlikar, Defense Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Countries around the world are stressing not only the integration of modern EW systems with next-generation aerial platforms, but also the enhancement of existing airborne warfare platforms to provide superior situational awareness, electromagnetic attack, and countermeasure capabilities with new sensors and more powerful digital signal processing. Additionally, the increased use and proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is expected to aid growth of the airborne platform EW segment in the coming years, as the UAVs are now being regarded as dedicated EW platforms, having previously been utilised exclusively for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and combat missions.”

With the increasing complexity of electronic threats from unknown radar signals, implementing a cognitive control mechanism with the ECMs is expected to address some of the limitations associated with electronic warfare systems such as their inability to handle high load and being unresponsive to such threats. Also, with the militaries around the world increasing their utilization of mini and nano UAVs in tactical missions, GlobalData expects greater miniaturization of EW systems that fit onto these platforms, which will further aid the growth of the EW systems sector.

Venkatesh concludes: “Over the forecast period, the evolution of electronic counter-countermeasures will also push EW system manufacturers to modernize and refine EW systems resulting in increased and sustained investment in research and development in the sector.”