Electronic Warfare Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Electronic Warfare Market Trends and Insights

Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Defense Modernization

Russia’s battlefield jamming in Ukraine compelled NATO armies to rush orders for stand-in jammers and spectrum-resilient radios, resetting procurement cycles toward continuous capability insertion. The US Army’s USD 100 million Terrestrial Layer System contract, awarded in 2024, typifies demand for man-portable kits that integrate electronic support, attack, and cyber effects on a single chassis. Japan’s record 2025 defense budget channels funds into F-35A electronic countermeasure upgrades to counter advanced frequency-hopping radars deployed by the Chinese MoD. The Gulf states are expanding airborne early warning fleets to surveil congested EM environments along critical shipping lanes. These moves elevate spectrum dominance to parity with air and maritime superiority, cementing an investment baseline that supports long-run growth of the electronic warfare market.

Surge in Unmanned Platforms Requiring EW Payloads

Commercial quadcopters armed with improvised munitions now threaten multi-billion-dollar capital ships, forcing navies to install shipboard counter-UAS suites as standard fit rather than mission kits. Lockheed Martin’s Sanctum and Elbit’s ReDrone integrate RF detection, protocol analysis, and targeted jamming in man-portable packages that commanders can deploy in minutes. Offensive drone swarms are also being equipped with miniature GaN amplifiers that broadcast deceptive signals, saturating enemy defenses at a fraction of the cost. The bidirectional proliferation of unmanned systems is driving double-digit unit orders even as broader defense budgets flatten, sustaining momentum for counter-UAS segments of the electronic warfare market.

Evolution of Radar and Communication Threats

Adversaries deploy agile waveforms and quantum-resilient links that defeat legacy noise jamming. Programs such as DARPA’s Adaptive Radar Countermeasures use machine learning (ML) libraries to identify unknown emitters within milliseconds, then tailor response waveforms.^{[1]Stephen Frahm, “Adaptive Radar Countermeasures,” Rand.org} Emerging quantum radar further challenges stealth assets, forcing investments in broader-band decoys and digital radio frequency memory techniques. The military integration of 5G and early 6G adds complexity because EW suites must simultaneously cover sub-6 GHz and mm-wave bands. Consequently, research budgets emphasize software-defined architectures capable of remote re-parameterization via over-the-air (OTA) updates.

COTS GaN Enabling Low-SWaP EW on Small Drones

Gallium-nitride (GaN) devices deliver higher power density than gallium-arsenide and silicon, allowing broadband electronic-attack payloads in footprints suited to quad-copters or loitering munitions.^{[2]Duncan Tift, “GaN broadens low-SWaP horizons,” IEEE.org} Commercial availability compresses cost curves, letting mid-tier suppliers enter the electronic warfare industry with niche solutions. One obstacle is China’s 98% share of the gallium supply, prompting Western allies to stockpile and seek alternative refining hubs. Despite supply-risk hedging, GaN adoption remains pivotal for extending electronic warfare coverage to every echelon, from squad-level drones to hypersonic glide vehicles.

High Program Cost and Long Development Cycles

The US Navy’s Next Generation Jammer took 11 years to reach initial operational capability because integrating high-power transmitters without disrupting on-board sensors required extensive flight testing. Italy’s USD 300 million order for two EA-37B aircraft in 2025 underscores the capital-intensive nature of purpose-built jamming platforms that carry no kinetic weapons. These headline prices push ministries toward incremental upgrades that favor modular retrofit vendors over prime contractors dependent on clean-sheet aircraft. Contractors must also finance secure test ranges to evaluate classified threat waveforms before contracts are guaranteed, elevating balance-sheet risk and diluting margins across the electronic warfare market.

Spectrum Management and Regulatory Hurdles

Defense transmitters now share C-band and Ka-band real estate with 5G towers and commercial satellites, amplifying interference disputes. The FCC’s 2024 ruling on C-band sharing forces US programs to embed dynamic spectrum-access algorithms that were never part of their original scope, inflating budgets midstream. NATO’s plan to reserve spectrum for large-scale electronic-attack training has stalled amid objections from satellite operators, cutting realistic exercise windows for member forces. Dense civilian spectrum use in Europe and North America leaves limited headroom, compelling designers to bake in extra agility that increases component count and cost, thereby tempering the growth of the electronic warfare market.

Segment Analysis

By Capability: Offensive Jamming Gains Doctrinal Priority

Electronic protection retained a 35.37% share in the electronic warfare market during 2025, as every platform still requires self-defense receivers and dispensers. However, the electronic warfare market for electronic attack is projected to expand fastest at a 9.16% CAGR through 2031, driven by stand-in jamming concepts that embed high-power transmitters on expendable drones that penetrate enemy air defenses. L3Harris’s USD 587 million Next Generation Jammer Low-Band award underscores demand for wideband pods that merge attack with support, blurring internal capability lines.

Second-generation protection suites now fuse infrared and RF sensors, but incremental performance gains are shrinking, slowing revenue velocity for this mature segment. Electronic support is climbing as miniaturized SDRs enable geolocation payloads on Group 2 drones, creating low-cost options for tactical commanders. Integration of cognitive algorithms enables a single aperture to auto-switch from threat detection to jamming within milliseconds, reducing SWaP and providing a compelling value proposition that accelerates cross-segment adoption in the electronic warfare market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Platform: Orbit Joins the Fight

Air systems delivered 35.21% of 2025 revenue, reflecting sustained upgrade cycles for F-35, EA-18G, and legacy fighters. Yet the electronic warfare market for space platforms is forecasted to grow at a 9.37% CAGR, as satellite constellations have become both high-value targets and persistent jamming nodes. The US Space Force is financing studies on payloads that can deny adversary communications without violating orbital debris protocols, adding a fresh stream of contracts through the decade.

Sea platforms benefit from steady shipbuilding budgets: Northrop Grumman’s SEWIP Block 3 replaces analog SLQ-32s with AESA arrays on US surface combatants, with installations starting on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers like the USS Pinckney. Land fleets are refreshing mobile jammers as armies confront drone swarms and GPS denial. Platform diversification spreads risk and enables suppliers to reallocate resources, reinforcing stable, long-term growth in the electronic warfare market.

By Equipment: Counter-UAS Suites Redefine Priorities

Counter-UAS suites are forecasted to expand at a 9% CAGR, the highest within equipment classes, because low-cost drones threaten everything from runways to oil terminals. Elbit’s ReDrone and Lockheed Martin’s Sanctum integrate detection, classification, and nulling functions in a backpack-sized form factor, illustrating buyer preference for turnkey kits. Jammer systems retain the largest revenue pool, but commoditization is squeezing unit margins.

The electronic warfare market size for radar warning receivers is transitioning to digital designs that offer finer frequency resolution and faster threat reaction, delivering a modest uplift in retrofit demand. Directed-energy systems like Raytheon’s Leonidas moved from test to initial fielding in 2024, positioning high-power microwave modules as future complements to RF jammers for drone defeat. Other equipment, including decoys and expendables, will continue to grow yet remain integral to holistic force-protection architectures.

By End-User: Air Force Leads Naval Modernization

Air force customers owned 38.55% of 2025 revenue, underscoring sustained investment in podded systems for fifth-generation fighters and autonomous wingmen that must survive GPS-denied missions. Digital backbones push firmware updates over encrypted links. At the same time, jets remain on the flight line, compressing sustainment timelines as sixth-generation programs embed fully integrated sensor-fusion suites from day one. The F-35’s AN/ASQ-239 integrates attack, protection, and support in a single aperture, setting the benchmark for future fighters and driving copy programs worldwide.

Navies concentrate spending in SEWIP Block 3 and submarine masts, whereas armies prioritize tactical jammers that can ride on infantry vehicles. Convergence around joint waveforms enables shared development roadmaps, lowers life-cycle costs, and reinforces the electronic warfare market’s prospects across service branches.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Fit: Retrofit Outpaces OEM Delivery

Retrofit captured 55.30% of 2025 revenue, and the electronic warfare market share for upgrades is projected to remain dominant through 2031 as operators extend the life of fourth-generation platforms instead of buying new airframes. The US Air Force’s F-16 ALQ-211 installation program demonstrates that a fractional budget can unlock near-peer capability at squadron scale.

OEM installations command higher margins but are constrained by slower airframe production rates; Boeing’s EA-18G line is already tapering, with no funded successor. Modular open-systems standards such as SOSA and CMOSS reduce integration risk during upgrades, allowing primes to drop in new antennas or processors without re-qualifying entire pods. This technical flexibility underpins the long-run dominance of retrofit in the electronic warfare market.

Geography Analysis

North America held 40.46% of 2025 revenue and is expected to grow at a 9.42% CAGR, the fastest among all regions. The US DoD's USD 842 billion FY 2025 budget allocates significant funding to Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) initiatives that require real-time spectrum management tools. Canada's F-35 procurement embeds advanced EW into its fighter recapitalization, while Mexico invests in airborne SIGINT for counter-narcotics operations.

Europe is pivoting from fragmented national efforts to pooled capability development. The Eurofighter Electronic Attack variant, financed by the UK and Germany, will integrate Saab's Arexis suite and Northrop Grumman's AARGM missiles by 2030, adding a dedicated SEAD asset to NATO.^{[3]Royal Air Force, “Eurofighter Electronic Attack Programme,” raf.mod.uk} Italy, Japan, and the UK's Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) has named Leonardo and ELT Group as co-primes for integrated sensing and non-kinetic effects, embedding cognitive EW from program inception. France's Rafale F5 standard upgrades Thales's SPECTRA suite for enhanced jamming, keeping the platform competitive in denied environments.

Asia-Pacific demand is accelerating as China fields advanced air-defense complexes. India's DRDO is maturing airborne and shipborne suites for Tejas and destroyers while bridging gaps with Israeli hardware. Japan's FY 2025 record budget funds F-35 EW upgrades and counter-space systems to mitigate satellite jamming. South Korea's KF-21 fighter and Sejong-class destroyer programs include indigenous EW to reduce reliance on imports. Australia leverages the AUKUS pact to develop submarine EW and signals intelligence with BAE Systems integration.^{[4]Australian Department of Defence, “Signals Intelligence and EW Projects,” defence.gov.au} Middle Eastern customers split focus: Israel emphasizes offensive jamming, whereas Gulf states invest in electronic support and counter-drone defenses. South America and Africa remain early-stage adopters, with Brazil and South Africa making limited niche purchases.