Early Warning Radar Market Report 2026

The early warning radar market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.71 billion in 2025 to $1.81 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing deployment of long-range radar systems to strengthen national air defense capabilities, advancements in signal processing technologies improving detection accuracy for early warning applications, rising demand for installation and maintenance services as countries expanded radar infrastructure, procurement of antennas, transmitters, and receivers to modernize legacy warning systems, integration of early warning radar into broader command and control networks enhancing situational awareness.

The early warning radar market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $2.24 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing investment in multi-layered air and missile defense systems requiring advanced early warning radars, increasing need for radar upgrades and modernization to address evolving aerial threats, expansion of training and consulting services to support complex radar system operations, rising adoption of next-generation power supplies and control systems to improve radar reliability, development of enhanced weather-resistant and high-precision radar components boosting future system performance. Major trends in the forecast period include increased deployment of long-range multi-static radar networks, adoption of active electronically scanned array (aesa) technology, growing focus on counter-stealth and low-observable detection capabilities, integration of radar with multi-sensor fusion (eo/ir, sigint, space-based sensors), rise in modular, software-defined radar architectures for rapid upgrades.

The increasing global security threats are expected to drive the growth of the early warning radar market going forward. Global security risks are rising due to terrorism, escalating geopolitical tensions, and advancements in weapon technologies. These threats include potential dangers such as missile launches, hostile aircraft intrusions, and other unauthorized airspace activities detected by radar systems. Early warning radar systems play a crucial role in mitigating global security risks by delivering timely and accurate information to military and defense forces, enabling effective responses to potential threats. For example, in January 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics, a UK-based government agency, there were 9.5 million incidents of headline crime in the year ending September 2024, representing a 12% increase from 8.5 million the previous year, largely driven by a 19% rise in fraud cases to approximately 3.9 million. Therefore, the growing global security threats are contributing to the expansion of the early warning radar market.

Leading companies in the early warning radar market are increasingly focusing on integrating gallium nitride (GaN) technology into radar systems to enhance detection capabilities, improve efficiency, and reduce the size and weight of equipment, ultimately boosting overall radar performance. GaN, a high-performance semiconductor material, offers superior electrical properties, including high breakdown voltage, excellent thermal conductivity, and efficiency at high frequencies. For example, in November 2023, the Electronics Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), an Indian laboratory under the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), introduced a new early warning radar designed to detect missile launches from thousands of miles away, providing extended warning times of several minutes. This radar is essential for timely alerts to command-and-control centers and enables precise cueing of fire control systems for rapid threat responses. It plays a crucial role in India’s Missile Defense and Space Surveillance Network, significantly enhancing situational awareness and defensive capabilities.

In February 2023, Indie Semiconductor Inc., a US-based automotive fabless semiconductor company, completed the acquisition of Silicon Radar GmbH for an undisclosed amount. This strategic acquisition is aimed at bolstering Indie Semiconductor's radar capabilities, particularly in early warning radar, in-cabin, and exterior vehicle sensing applications. The acquisition is expected to support Indie's radar research and development staffing plan. Silicon Radar GmbH, based in Germany, specializes in high-frequency system-on-chips (SoCs) designed for early warning radar applications, further contributing to the advancement of radar technologies.

Major companies operating in the early warning radar market are Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Airbus SE, Hanwha Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Honeywell International Inc., Safran SA, BAE Systems plc, Thales Group, L3Harris Technologies Inc., Leonardo S.p.A., Textron Inc., Rheinmetall AG, Serco Group plc, Saab AB, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., Bharat Electronics Limited, Mercury Systems Inc., Cobham plc, Aselsan A.Ş., ThalesRaytheonSystems, Indra Sistemas S.A.

North America was the largest region in the early warning radar market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the early warning radar market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

Tariffs on high-value electronic components, RF semiconductors, and composite materials have increased procurement and manufacturing costs for early warning radar systems, causing procurement slowdowns in some programs. Hardware-heavy segments antennas, transmitters/receivers, and signal processors are most impacted, particularly in regions dependent on imports such as Europe and Asia-Pacific. Defense customers facing higher acquisition costs may delay upgrades, but tariffs are also catalyzing local production investments and regional supplier development, which can strengthen domestic radar supply chains and long-term technology sovereignty.

The early warning radar market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides early warning radar market statistics, including early warning radar industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a early warning radar market share, detailed early warning radar market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the early warning radar industry. This early warning radar market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

Early warning radar is an advanced surveillance system designed to detect and track potential threats, such as enemy aircraft or missiles, in real-time. These radar systems are strategically deployed to offer early alerts on approaching threats, enabling prompt responses and the implementation of defense measures. Leveraging sophisticated technology, including robust antennas and signal processing systems, they can detect and track targets over extensive distances and in diverse weather conditions.

The primary categories of early warning radar include air-interception radars, bombing radars, navigation radars, and others. Air-interception radars specifically serve to detect and track airborne threats, such as enemy aircraft or missiles, with the objective of intercepting and engaging them. The dimensions encompass 2D (two-dimensional), 3D (three-dimensional), and 4D (four-dimensional), catering to applications such as attack, defense, surveillance, collision avoidance, and others. These radar systems find application across various end-users, including navy, army, and air force.

The countries covered in the early warning radar market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The early warning radar market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as installation, maintenance, repair, training, and consulting for early warning radar systems. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included. The early warning radar market also includes sales of antennas, transmitters, receivers, signal processors, display units, power supplies, and control systems. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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