Smart Weapons Market: Current Analysis and Forecast (2024-2032)

Smart weapons include a range of precision-guided bombs that have great accuracy, smart bullets that can change their trajectory, and smart land mines that deactivate at a certain time. Advanced technology offers the military more clever ways of killing the enemy, while some of the methods are designed to eliminate or lessen collateral damage.

The Smart Weapons Market is growing at a steady rate of 6.95% during the forecast period, driven by the increasing demand to minimize civilian casualties and the increased government defense budget. Smart weapons are one of the most important and key elements of military power for countries around the world. The increasing security concerns and modernization programs including regional tension, terrorism, and geopolitical have gained momentum on smart weapons. Countries around the world are strengthening their military capabilities to tackle unwanted situations by adding smart weapons. Therefore, developed and developing countries have increased their defense budget to address the evolving security challenges. For instance, in 2023, the U.S government spent USD 820 billion on national defense. Out of this, the Department of Defense spent USD 776 billion on military activities. Additionally, China is considered one of the major countries that is investing heavily in the military and defense. For instance, in 2024, China unveiled its defense budget with an increase of 7.2% from the previous year. The country's new budget has gone to USD 236.1 billion (1.7 trillion yuan). When compared to Japan and Taiwan China's budget is 4 and 12 times greater which shows government interest towards evolving security concerns.

Based on product, the market is segmented into missiles, munitions, guided projectiles, guided rockets, and directed energy weapons. The missiles segment dominated the market in 2023 and is expected to dominate in the forecast period due to the growing demand for advanced guided missiles. Additionally, some of the major factors that have propelled the demand for the missiles include geopolitical tension, rising threats from advanced adversaries, a shift from counterterrorism to peer competitors, and the preparation for potential future conflicts. The increased geopolitical tension between countries such as Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East region has skyrocketed the demand for missiles. For instance, in September 2024, Russia launched a barrage of missiles on Ukraine's capital city Kyiv. The missile includes several types of ballistic and cruise missiles. Moreover, the rising concern over terrorism and the shift toward counterterrorism has positively impacted the smart weapons market. Countries such as the U.S. and Israel have actively expanded their capabilities of missiles for counterterrorism. For example, Israel's air defense system "Iron Dome" is meant to protect against a range of aerial threats, which includes aircraft, cruise, and ballistic missiles. The iron dome automatically intercepted missiles and secured up to 99% of the incoming projectiles. For instance, in April 2024, Iran launched around 300 missiles at Israel including several types of ballistic and cruise missiles, in retaliation to an Israeli strike on Damascus, Syria.

Based on the platform, the market is segmented into air, land, and naval. The land segment dominated the smart weapons in 2023 and is expected to behave similarly in the forecast period. The increased defense budget, integration with network-centric warfare, and growing technological advancement have boosted segmental growth. The increased defense budget of countries such as the U.S., China, and India ascertain wings to develop and deep down into technological advancements. Advancements such as enhanced precision and accuracy for long-range weapons have increased, which contributed to the segmental growth. For example, the development of DF-21 and DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missiles which have a range of 1500, and 4,000 kilometers respectively show the advancements in land-based smart weapons. Additionally, the integration of technologies such as AI, ML, 5G networks, and real-time analytics to enhance their capabilities and effectiveness is a key example in the land-based segment.

Based on technology, the market is segmented into laser guidance, infrared guidance, radar guidance, satellite guidance, and others. The laser guidance segment dominated the smart weapons in 2023 and is expected to behave similarly in the forecast period. Laser is an indispensable tool in recent warfare due to its features of high precision and accuracy provided by laser-guided systems. For instance, the Paveway series of laser-guided bombs work in conjunction with a laser designator in that the laser-guided bomb has a laser sensor that 'homes in' on the laser reflections from the target and bombs it with great precision. The accuracy achieved translates well to minimizing unfortunate deaths of innocent people and makes laser-guided systems efficient. Laser technologies have progressively been upgraded such that the functionality of the guidance system has increased at an exponential rate. For example, the means of laser guidance to targets have improved due to technological advances such as the ability to withstand environmental factors such as bad weather. The advanced laser technology being employed in the U.S military involves the laser-guided munition, for instance, the AGM 114 Hellfire missile which can be guided by laser designators.

For a better understanding of the market of smart weapons, the market is analyzed based on its worldwide presence in countries such as North America (The US, Canada, and Rest of North America), Europe (Germany, The UK, France, Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Rest of World. The North America smart weapons market is expected to dominate in the forecast period due to several factors, such as the region has a substantial defense budget, a hub for technological advancements, and the growing demand for precision strike capabilities. The region includes countries such as the U.S., and Canada, which play an important role in developing smart weapons. These countries have some of the world's biggest weapon and defense manufacturer companies. United States has the world's highest defense budget globally approximately USD 820 billion. Companies such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Raytheon Technologies invested hefty amounts in research and development to advance their manufacturing capabilities and new product development. Moreover, there is an increasing demand for smart weapons in law enforcement to control the unexpected situation and violence within the country. Companies in the region such as LodeStar Works are introducing smart handguns for law enforcement, which is expected to positively contribute the market growth.

Some of the major players operating in the market include BAE Systems, L3Harris Technologies, Inc., Leonardo S.p.A., Lockheed Martin Corporation, MBDA Inc., Northrop Grumman, RTX, IAI, Boeing, and NORINCO.