Directed Energy Weapons Market Growth Opportunities and Forecast by 2028

The directed energy weapons market is expected to grow from US$ 1,780.61 Million in 2022 to US$ 5,737.45 Million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 21.5% from 2022 to 2028.

Governments of various countries are increasing efforts to meet the growing demand for various security applications by integrating directed energy technology into their military applications. For instance, the US Department of Defense (DoD) is working with several industry vendors to develop DEWs such as high-power lasers and microwaves to achieve optimal results. Similarly, India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) announced its plans to develop DEWs using high-energy lasers and microwaves. These DEWs, including particle beams, high-power microwaves, and plasma, are emerging military technologies yet to be deployed by military forces for future warfare. DEW systems can combat UAVs, artillery, and missiles and reach optimal performance levels required to combat cruise missiles. Moreover, the increased use of UAVs poses security threats and creates demand for directed energy weapons. Thus, the rising need for high-power microwave weapons and high-power lasers will boost the directed energy weapons market growth during the forecast period.

The demand for directed energy weapons is increasing globally, and the value of DEW has continued to rise over the years, given the need for high-power DEWs. The US is expected to lead the market in terms of directed energy weapons market share during the forecast period, followed by China, Germany, France, and the UK. Future developments of defensive weapons such as DEWs provide significant advantages over alternative traditional weapons consisting of precision engagement, low-cost per shot, logistical benefits, and low detectability. The US military is using laser weapons with 100kW-150kW intensity and is focusing on developing more powerful weapons, i.e., 300kW laser weapons, to counter supersonic cruise missiles. Moreover, the US Air Force is testing H2, a high-energy laser weapon system developed by Raytheon Technologies. In the UK, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) provided three contracts worth ~US$ 85.8 million to the UK defense industry to produce advanced laser weapons as part of the Novel Weapons Programme. The increase in civil unrest and militarization of law enforcement agencies regarding the DEWs are the major factors supporting the directed energy weapons market growth.

Published Report - Directed Energy Weapons Market: Strategic Insights

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Directed Energy Weapons Market Growth

Owing to the lockdown scenarios across the world, the industry experts analyzed that the defense equipment manufacturing industry faced approximately 4-12 weeks of lag in the military electronic part supply chain during the second quarter of 2020. The supply chain disruption damaged the defense equipment manufacturing in 2020. However, various defense forces are awarding contracts for various weapons (both in operation and in the prototyping phase) to the manufacturers. The manufacturer companies of LaWS (AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System) have been increasing their R&D, prototype manufacturing, and trial run execution since mid-2021, which is positively influencing defense equipment manufacturing. Therefore, the recovery period of the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the defense industry is foreseen to be quicker as compared to various other industries. This factor would fuel the growth of the directed energy weapons market during the forecast period.

In 2020, many developments of high-energy laser weapon systems and microwave weapon systems were witnessed in the directed energy weapons market across North American countries, such as the US. The majority of these developments are based on a contract basis wherein almost all types of vendors, such as Raytheon Technologies, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, have faced supply chain and other component procuring challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors hampered the growth of the directed energy weapons market during the pandemic.

Market Insights – Directed Energy Weapons Market

Based on region, the directed energy weapons market is primarily segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. North America is expected to dominate the market in 2022 in terms of directed energy weapons market share and is expected to retain its dominance during the forecast period, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. Further, Asia Pacific is expected to witness the highest CAGR in the directed energy weapons market during the forecast period.

Range-Based Insights – Directed Energy Weapons Market

Based on range, the directed energy weapons market is bifurcated into less than 1 mile and more than 1 mile. The less than 1 mile segment is expected to dominate the market in 2022, and it is also projected to retain its dominance during the forecast period. The demand for less than 1 mile segment is mainly driven by growing investments in the development of several laser systems that are being developed by most of the directed energy weapons market players, such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, and Aselsan. These vendors are majorly focusing on the development of products based on the contracts provided by several defense authorities such as the US DoD, UK MoD, Indian MoD, etc.

Lockheed Martin Corporation, Rheinmetall AG, Raytheon Technologies, Thales Group, and L3Harris Technologies are a few of the prominent players operating in the directed energy weapons market. The market is highly consolidated due to the presence of well-established directed energy weapons market players across the world.

Directed Energy Weapons

Published Report - Directed Energy Weapons Market Players Density: Understanding Its Impact on Business Dynamics

The Published Report - Directed Energy Weapons Market is growing rapidly, driven by increasing end-user demand due to factors such as evolving consumer preferences, technological advancements, and greater awareness of the product's benefits. As demand rises, businesses are expanding their offerings, innovating to meet consumer needs, and capitalizing on emerging trends, which further fuels market growth.

The directed energy weapons market players mainly focus on providing customers with efficient DEW solutions. The directed energy weapons market players are also witnessing a rise in demand for procuring laser weapon products across several armed forces applications. Therefore, many companies focus on expanding their product offerings for different applicational platforms. The companies are also taking initiatives to partner with different companies and develop sustainable solutions armed forces. For instance,

• In July 2021, the US Navy and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) came under a five-year joint effort for the development of high-power microwave technology capable of knocking out adversary electronics.
• In May 2022, Rheinmetall announced that it had successfully tested the laser weapon technology demonstrator version built on behalf of the German Bundeswehr forces.