Military Laser Systems Market Bonded to a Striking Growth by 2030

April , 2023 “Global Military Laser Systems Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023” - Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast up to 2023.

Military Laser Systems Market – Market Overview

Military Laser Systems Market Size was valued at USD 4.85 billion in 2022. The Military Laser Systems Market is projected to grow from USD 5.70 billion in 2023 to USD 10.20 billion by 2030, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.67% during the forecast period (2023 - 2030).

Laser systems are widely in military and defense which includes rangefinders, illuminators, laser weapons, directed energy weapons and infrared countermeasures. Laser weapons are capable and utilized as both lethal and non-lethal weapons. Laser systems are also utilized for military communications, for example, laser-based ground to air communications, and other applications such as airborne laser mine detection, which provides a rapid wide-area mine detection capability. Also, there has been a huge spending on such military laser systems R&D programs.

The laser systems are being utilized for offensive as well as defensive operations by the military for various air, ground, naval and space operations. Laser based weapons are also used by different countries and is considered as the weapons of the future. This demand for military laser systems and mainly the laser based weapons has mostly helped the growth of the Global Military Laser Systems market. Also, the military and defense segment spends a substantial amount of budget on R&D and weapons development projects.

The emerging nations such as China and India have also largely put their effort in the development of laser systems for military applications, mainly the laser based weapons. In 2014, China unveiled its laser cannon system that could shoot down UAVs from more than a mile away with a very high accuracy. More than 40 percent of the China's laser research and development capability is focused towards military applications. China has also been investing heavily in the development of advanced laser weapon system and had recently conducted its anti-satellite laser weapon test in 2014.  

Similarly, the Indian Ministry of Defense has regrded the development of advanced weapon and DEWs as a top priority for its roadmap till 2020-2025. India has been working on the development of such laser weapons and aims to make it accessible to fighter aircrafts, naval destroyers and submarines by 2025. It is also working on DEWs to improve anti-ballistic missile capability. India's LASTEC, a laboratory developing lasers and related technologies, belonging to the DRDO, has been working to develop such laser weapons for the Indian Armed Forces.

The laser systems are also expected to pave the way for next-gen weapon systems. The laser-based weapons could be used as a defense system for manned and unmanned aircrafts, to save it from heat-seeking missiles. DARPA in cooperation with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin has been actively working towards the development of such systems. It aims to develop such laser weapons to defend the aircraft from EO/IR guided surface-to-air missiles. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a next-gen laser weapon system, that would be ten times lighter and more compact than the current high power chemical laser systems, and which could be mounted on a pod to the manned aircraft and UAVs.

Military Laser Systems Market – Competitive Analysis

The global military laser systems market is highly competitive. There exists strong rivalry and competition among existing vendors; in terms of cost, technology, and to win major military deals and projects in various emerging and established markets. To survive and succeed in such an intensely competitive environment, it is crucial for the vendors to develop highly capable and efficient laser systems and also need to involve in major laser weapon development projects.  Five of the key vendors in the global military laser systems market are BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Thales Group.

Industry/ Innovation/ Related News:

March, 2018: Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract worth USD 26.3 million by U.S. Air Force Research Lab to provide a laser weapon that could be mounted on a fighter jet.

February, 2018: Lockheed Martin’s Aculight division was awarded a contract worth USD 150 million by the U.S. Navy to build a laser weapon and dazzler system.

August 2018: Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract worth USD 12.4 million by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency to develop and deliver laser range finders.

January 2017: Dragonfire consortium, led by MBDA, was awarded a contract worth around USD 36.7 million (EUR 30 Million) by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (U.K) to develop laser weapons.

Military Laser Systems Market – Segments

For the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding; the military laser systems market is segmented in to three key dynamics:

Segmentation by Technology: Laser Fiber, Solid Fiber, Chemical Laser, CO2 Laser, and Others.

Segmentation by Application: Military/Defense and Law Enforcement.

Segmentation by Region: Comprises Geographical regions – North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America.

Military Laser Systems Market –

Regional Analysis

The government and research agencies around the world are involved in the R&D activities for development of military laser systems. The R&D spending on such military laser systems has also been increasing which has helped the growth of the global military laser systems market. For example, DARPA in the US has been involved in such R&D projects. In the US, such R&D activities are focused around many projects related to military applications such as rangefinders, infrared countermeasures, illuminators, and DEW researches. Similarly, the Horizon 2020 program in Europe (the European funding plan), also has a substantial amount of funding towards the 'photonics programs' which includes the lasers, and is expected to fund more than US$137 million per year through 2020. The rise in terrorism and conflict has also increased the R&D efforts for such military laser systems and weapons.