Guided Munitions Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Guided Munitions Market is projected to expand from USD 37.75 Billion in 2025 to USD 52.08 Billion by 2031, reflecting a CAGR of 5.51%. These precision-engineered systems utilize internal or external guidance methods, such as GPS, laser designators, or inertial navigation, to execute highly accurate strikes while minimizing collateral damage. Growth is primarily driven by the urgent need for nations to restock dwindling inventories amidst geopolitical instability and a strategic pivot toward precision capabilities optimized for asymmetric urban combat. As evidence of this industrial mobilization, the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) reported in 2025 that the European defense sector saw a turnover increase of 13.8% to €183.4 billion, highlighting the intensified effort to meet escalated procurement needs.

Despite this positive trajectory, the market encounters significant obstacles related to supply chain fragility, specifically regarding the procurement of energetic materials and advanced microelectronics essential for guidance units. Shortages of these critical components create production bottlenecks that restrict the industrial base's capacity to quickly scale up output, leading to prolonged delivery schedules and higher unit costs for defense agencies. Consequently, while demand remains high, the ability to fulfill orders efficiently is hampered by these logistical constraints.

Market Drivers

The urgent necessity to replenish munition stockpiles serves as a primary market driver, triggered by the rapid consumption of precision assets in ongoing high-intensity conflicts. Nations are aggressively mobilizing their industrial bases to replace depleted inventories of guided rockets, missiles, and artillery shells, which have been expended at rates surpassing peacetime production capabilities. This strong demand signal has led to historic order volumes for major defense contractors as governments prioritize immediate readiness and inventory sustainability. For example, RTX reported in its 'Q3 2024 Earnings Release' in October 2024 a record backlog of $221 billion, a figure significantly driven by unprecedented international demand for advanced missile defense systems and guided interceptors, underscoring the link between geopolitical instability and accelerated procurement.

Simultaneously, rising global defense budgets and military modernization initiatives are establishing the fiscal framework needed to support these heightened procurement activities. Governments are not merely replacing expended rounds but are also enhancing their arsenals with next-generation precision-guided weapons to secure technological superiority, allowing for the integration of advanced guidance packages and long-range standoff capabilities. According to NATO's 'Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014-2024)' report from June 2024, defense spending by European Allies and Canada rose by 17.9 percent in real terms, marking the largest annual increase in decades. This financial expansion directly fuels manufacturing contracts, as seen when the U.S. Department of Defense awarded the Javelin Joint Venture a $1.3 billion modification contract in 2024 for Javelin missiles and associated equipment.

Market Challenges

A critical barrier to growth in the Global Guided Munitions Market is the fragility of the supply chain, particularly regarding the sourcing of energetic materials and advanced microelectronics. These specialized components are vital for the propulsion and precision guidance systems that define modern weaponry, yet they depend on a highly concentrated and vulnerable sub-tier supplier base. When manufacturers encounter shortages of these inputs, production lines inevitably stall, causing severe bottlenecks that hinder the industry's ability to convert record-high order backlogs into realized revenue. This logistical limitation effectively caps market expansion, as the industrial base is unable to rapidly scale output to meet the surge in geopolitical demand.

The severity of these constraints is highlighted by recent industrial data. According to the National Defense Industrial Association, 38% of private sector respondents in 2024 identified capacity constraints as a primary vulnerability within the defense supply chain. Such limitations directly lead to extended delivery timelines and increased unit costs, which effectively reduce the purchasing power of defense budgets. Consequently, the market's growth trajectory is restricted not by a lack of orders, but by the manufacturing ecosystem's inability to secure the necessary materials to fulfill them efficiently.

Market Trends

The rapid proliferation of loitering munition capabilities is fundamentally transforming tactical engagement strategies by providing a cost-effective bridge between surveillance drones and traditional guided missiles. Unlike the broader trend of stockpile replenishment, this development focuses on equipping small units with organic, expendable precision-strike assets capable of identifying and neutralizing high-value targets in real-time. This shift toward "suicide drones" enables armed forces to conduct asymmetric warfare with high lethality and a minimal logistical footprint. The surging demand for these single-use, autonomous systems is reflected in industry performance; for instance, AeroVironment reported in its 'Fiscal 2025 Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Results' in June 2025 that revenue for its Loitering Munitions Systems segment rose by 87% year-over-year, highlighting the aggressive integration of these weapons.

Concurrently, the development of hypersonic guided projectiles has become a critical technological priority, designed to penetrate sophisticated anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) environments. Defense agencies are directing substantial investment into weapons capable of speeds exceeding Mach 5 to ensure successful strikes against adversaries with advanced interception capabilities that render subsonic cruise missiles less effective. This strategic imperative requires entirely new propulsion and thermal management technologies to achieve kinetic energy lethality, distinct from simple legacy platform upgrades. The scale of this high-end innovation is illustrated by major development awards, such as the U.S. Department of Defense awarding a contract modification worth up to $1 billion to Lockheed Martin in June 2025 to further develop the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic program, as reported by Defence Industry Europe.

Key Players Profiled in the Guided Munitions Market

• Lockheed Martin Corporation
• RTX Corporation
• Northrop Grumman Corporation
• BAE Systems PLC
• General Dynamics Corporation
• Thales S.A.
• Rheinmetall AG
• Kongsberg Gruppen ASA
• Leonardo S.p.A.
• Saab AB

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Guided Munitions Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Guided Munitions Market, by Product Type:

• Tactical Missile
• Guided Rockets
• Guided Ammunition
• Loitering Munition

Guided Munitions Market, by Technology Type:

• Infrared
• Semi-Active Lasers
• Navigation System
• Anti-Radiation
• Others

Guided Munitions Market, by Launch Platform Type:

• Land
• Airborne
• Naval

Guided Munitions Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Guided Munitions Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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