Military Simulator Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecast (2022 - 2027)

Market Overview

The military simulator market is estimated to register a CAGR of more than 3.5% during the forecast period (2022 - 2027).

Despite the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, global military spending continued to increase in 2020 and 2021. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global military spending increased by 0.7% to reach USD 2,113 billion in 2021. The continued growth in global defense spending is expected to propel the growth of the military simulators market during the forecast period.

The growth in demand for military vehicles across the land, sea, and aerial platforms is the main driver of the market growth. Several countries are modernizing their military fleets by inducting newer generation vehicle platforms, generating a simultaneous demand for simulation-based training for the military personnel on these platforms, thereby propelling the market prospects of the related military simulators.

The training of pilots and military personnel in real aircraft, land vehicles, and ships involves many risks and sometimes may lead to hazardous situations and loss of lives. Simulators provide a realistic experience and safety training for beginners. This need for safe and efficient training is also driving the simulator market.

Scope of the Report

The market covers the procurement of simulators for training personnel on military vehicle platforms used across the land, sea, and air. The simulators used to train the UAV operators are excluded from the purview of the report. The military simulator market is segmented by the platform into air, land, and sea. The report also offers the market sizes and forecast for the military simulators market in major countries across all the regions in the world. For each segment, the market sizes and forecasts are done based on value (USD billion).

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Key Market Trends

The Air Segment is Expected to Experience the Highest Growth During the Forecast Period

The Air segment of the market held the largest market share in 2021. The segment is also expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period, majorly due to the complexity and risk involved in operating the aircraft compared to the other end users. For example, a single mistake by pilots on board a military aircraft while landing or take-off will cost the lives of people on board and result in the loss of sophisticated military property and compromise the mission. Such complexity has forced the military authorities to incorporate simulator-based training for pilots. Moreover, the increasing adoption of newer aircraft that incorporate complex technologies in the military may require pilots to familiarize themselves with the latest equipment and systems. In such situations, providing hands-on experience may be difficult due to high-cost involvement. In such cases, the simulators act as the preferred option. For instance, the operating cost of the USAF’s F-35A is estimated to be about USD 44,000 per flight hour. In this regard, the F-35 pilots are first trained on simulators instead of the actual aircraft, which helps in cost-cutting. Pilots are typically trained for about 30 hours on the F-35 full-mission simulators before getting airborne on their first sortie in the F-35. Lockheed Martin is also planning to connect full-mission simulators in the United States and the United Kingdom through a software upgrade, allowing the Air Force pilots in these countries to virtually train with one another across international borders. Furthermore, the USAF aims to deploy and connect more full-mission simulators in the years to come. Such initiatives also help the militaries increase interoperability without conducting joint military exercises on actual aircraft. With the interest of the defense departments of major countries in utilizing flight simulator training, the demand for simulators that cater to the needs of aircraft and military pilot training is skyrocketing. As a result, new purchases and product innovations to supply the most advanced military aircraft training activities have been taking place in the market. For instance, Lockheed Martin is planning to connect full-mission simulators- in the United States and the United Kingdom through a software upgrade, allowing the Air Force pilots in these countries to virtually train with one another across international borders. Furthermore, the USAF aims to deploy and connect more full-mission simulators in the years to come. Such initiatives also help the militaries in enhancing interoperability without conducting joint military exercises on actual aircraft, which is expected to drive the market growth during the forecast period.

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