APAC Thermal Imaging Systems - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2025 - 2030)

The APAC Thermal Imaging Systems Market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period.

Key Highlights

• Thermal imaging detects a long IR range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is invisible to the human eye by means of special and sophisticated cameras called Infrared Imagers. Thermal imaging systems have witnessed a paradigm shift in recent years due to their increasing use in military and defense applications. The army and navy popularly use it for border surveillance and law enforcement. It is also used in ship collision avoidance and guidance systems, whereas in the aviation industry, it has greatly mitigated the risks of flying in low light and night conditions.
• To cope with diversely asymmetric, multi-dimensional, and highly lethal imperatives of the battlefield, global armies are modernizing their military arsenal and getting soldiers geared up with the latest in combat and surveillance technology. Motion detection is one of the important element of Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) and perimeter monitoring systems. Thermal imaging has become an integral part of these systems because of its ability to operate in all weather conditions.
• Further, the advent of smartphones as cost-effective handheld/portable thermal imaging devices is expected to increase technology adoption. Caterpillar(Cat) companies have integrated FLIR's thermal imaging camera in the Cat S60 and the latest Cat S61 smartphones.
• Moreover, electrical installations in buildings like an office complex, residential complex, or shopping complex like a mall are mostly located at places with poor air ventilation. Again, it requires an effective maintenance schedule to avoid any mishap. Various surveys in different sectors have shown that predictive maintenance using thermal imaging has saved up to 40% of the maintenance cost and 50% of the plant process's downtime. These factors have a positive outlook on the handheld thermal imaging equipment market.
• Furthermore, It has been expected that the adoption of significant volumes of thermal cameras for SAE automation levels 2 and 3 will likely start in 2022 or 2023, with high annual growth rates. According to UBS, Nvidia, and Intel, the expected autonomous vehicle registration share would reach 12% in 2030 from 0.1% in 2021, and thermal imaging might be the technology autonomous vehicles need to reach level five. Such trends are accelerating the need for thermal imaging systems in the Asia Pacific.

APAC Thermal Imaging Systems Market Trends

Increasing Spending by Government and Defense Activities

• Military and defense were the very first applications of IR and thermal imaging systems. With the defense sector's rising investments in surveillance, IR, and thermal imaging systems, adoption is expected to increase in the future.
• The Asia-Pacific region offers potential growth opportunities due to the rise in technology penetration and high defense spending, and the presence of many small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
• For instance, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, countries like China, India, and Japan have the highest military spending in the region as the countries spent USD 252 billion, USD 72 billion, and USD 49.1 billion respectively in 2020. This drives various opportunities for the vendors in the market.
• Moreover, many startups in the region are gaining attention from the government to utilize thermal imaging systems. For instance, in September 2021, The Indian Army and the Kerala Police developed a keen interest in a startup called Panther that develops thermal imaging surveillance systems. This led to the collaboration with Ozak Technologies and its R&D division to manufacture the thermal imaging equipment for the defense.

India is expected to hold significant market share

• India is expected to hold a significant market share for the thermal imaging systems market during the forecast period due to the increasing adoption of infrared imaging products and services by organizations in the region for applications, such as surveillance, threat detection, automotive, predictive maintenance, and others.
• Most companies are keen on developing a better IR camera to provide detailed infrared information to gain a competitive edge over others. For instance, Telops introduced a high-speed infrared camera, which features a maximum data throughput of larger than 1 Gigapixels. The infrared camera can acquire images at 1900 fps in the full resolution, which can be increased up to 90,000 fps in sub-window mode (64 x 4 pixels.).
• Moreover, in June 2021, the country announced boosting border surveillance through thermal imaging displays for the operator. This is expected to help the army to defend against airborne border incursions. Further, according to the Defence Ministry, ARHMD technology is deployed that incorporates augmented reality and thermal imaging to boost Indian border patrols.
• Solar power is becoming increasingly popular, and solar panels are becoming a costly and vulnerable commodity, leading to the increasing importance of decent security. Many solar park owners opt for a security system based on thermal imaging cameras to protect their investment. For instance, according to International Renewable Energy Agency, India's solar energy capacity rose to 39,211 megawatts in 2020 compared to 25,089 megawatts in 2019

APAC Thermal Imaging Systems Industry Overview

The thermal imaging system market is consolidated, with a considerable number of regional and global players. The major players in the market are trying to gain more market share with product innovations.

• February 2021 - FLIR Systems launched Boson-based thermal camera in Veoneer's fourth-generation Night Vision System as an option on the all-new Cadillac Escalade, identical to the FLIR Thermal Automotive Development Kit (ADK). The new thermal-vision system offers a broader field-of-view with four times the resolution compared to the previous generation, extending road coverage, improving situational awareness, and displaying a sharper image to the driver.
• September 2021 - Iray Technology launched P200 and M200A handheld thermal cameras with Ray thermal CMOS technology. The cameras are expected to offer customers accuracy, efficiency, and portability as it is equipped with a 0-90° rotary lens that enables users to inspect narrow gaps and under car chassis, among multiple other scenarios, where it is usually challenging.

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