Combat Management System Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Combat Management System Market is projected to expand from USD 444.75 Million in 2025 to USD 556.61 Million by 2031, registering a CAGR of 3.81%. Functioning as a centralized hub, a Combat Management System unifies a naval vessel's data links, weaponry, and sensors to deliver a cohesive operational picture essential for tactical decision-making. This market growth is primarily fueled by the imperative to modernize fleets against rising asymmetric threats and the increasing necessity for interoperability among allied nations. Governments are vigorously updating older platforms to secure strategic advantages in contested maritime zones, a commitment reflected in data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which notes that global military expenditure hit $2.71 trillion for the year 2024.

However, the sector confronts a major hurdle regarding the technical intricacies involved in melding contemporary open-architecture systems with aging naval hardware. This retrofitting endeavor frequently leads to significant cost escalations and technical setbacks, which can gravely impede the timely deployment of modernized ships. These integration difficulties establish a severe bottleneck that entangles procurement timelines and limits the speed at which naval forces can comprehensively implement advanced combat capabilities.

Market Drivers

Rising geopolitical frictions and regional maritime conflicts act as the main engine for the Global Combat Management System Market, urging nations to significantly strengthen their naval preparedness. Defense ministries are emphasizing the acquisition of integrated combat suites that guarantee enhanced threat assessment and reaction speeds in hostile waters. This strategic shift is demonstrated by heavy financial investment in naval procurement to uphold deterrence measures. For instance, the U.S. Department of the Navy requested $257.6 billion in its FY 2025 Budget to support forward presence and warfighting readiness, while Thales Group reported a Defense & Security order intake of €8.95 billion for the first nine months of 2024, highlighting the global demand surge.

Concurrently, the necessity to extend the lifecycle and modernize current naval fleets compels navies to optimize legacy platforms through sophisticated retrofits. Instead of commissioning exclusively new vessels, naval forces are embedding modern combat management systems into older hulls to keep pace with developing asymmetric threats. This strategy demands intricate engineering to bridge modern open-architecture software with older hardware, generating consistent revenue for specialized integrators. As evidence of this heavy investment in maintaining the operational relevance of surface combatants, BAE Systems secured a $212 million contract in 2024 to upgrade the amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay.

Market Challenges

The technical difficulty associated with merging modern open-architecture systems with legacy naval equipment represents a significant barrier to the Global Combat Management System Market's expansion. This retrofitting procedure demands substantial custom engineering to reconcile advanced digital interfaces with older analog platforms, causing serious technical bottlenecks that interrupt project schedules. Because these integration struggles extend delivery times and trigger unforeseen costs, defense budgets are increasingly absorbed by managing variances rather than funding new procurements, leading to a hesitation to undertake simultaneous large-scale modernizations and effectively lowering the number of active contracts.

Market growth is further restricted by the industrial base's finite capacity to manage these highly specialized integration requirements under stress. According to a 2025 report by the National Defense Industrial Association, roughly 27.3 percent of essential defense supplier industries are expected to face shortages should demand spike. This supply chain fragility implies that even when funding is accessible, the physical speed of delivering these intricate, retrofitted combat solutions is constrained, which directly suppresses the market's overall revenue potential.

Market Trends

The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence for Automated Threat Evaluation is transforming the fundamental nature of combat management systems, evolving them from passive data monitors into cognitive engines for decision support. With naval engagement windows shrinking due to hypersonic threats, CMS architectures are integrating machine learning algorithms to autonomously rank targets and suggest engagement sequences more rapidly than human operators can. This technological evolution is commercially substantiated; for example, GovCon Exec International reported in December 2025 that Thales won a potential $135 million contract to supply the Royal Navy with command suites utilizing AI-driven automatic target recognition to sift through sensor data and expedite decision-making.

The unification of Manned and Unmanned System Operations is redefining market demands, as navies seek CMS platforms that can fluidly manage remote autonomous assets alongside traditional shipboard weaponry. This trend transcends basic interoperability, necessitating that the combat system function as a central mothership hub capable of directing swarms of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles to expand sensor ranges and kinetic reach while keeping the crewed vessel out of direct line of fire. The financial magnitude of this shift is substantial; DefenseScoop noted in June 2025 that the U.S. Navy allocated $5.3 billion in its 2026 budget plan for autonomy investments to hasten the deployment of these collaborative uncrewed capabilities across the fleet.

Key Players Profiled in the Combat Management System Market

• Lockheed Martin Corporation
• Thales Group
• BAE Systems plc
• Saab AB
• Kongsberg Gruppen Asa
• Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.
• Leonardo S.P.A.
• Raytheon Company
• Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Elbit Systems Ltd.

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Combat Management System Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Combat Management System Market, by Component:

• Software
• Hardware

Combat Management System Market, by Subsystem:

• Self-defense Management System
• Situational Awareness System
• Track Management System
• Weapon Management System
• Display System
• Identification System
• Unmanned Vehicle Control System

Combat Management System Market, by Platform:

• Destroyers
• Submarines
• Frigates
• Amphibious Ships
• Corvettes
• Fast Attack Craft (FAC)
• Aircraft Carriers

Combat Management System 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 Combat Management System Market.

Available Customization

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

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