Automatic Grenade Launcher Market Report 2025

The automatic grenade launcher market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.18 billion in 2024 to $1.26 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7%. The growth during the historic period can be attributed to expanding military modernization efforts, escalating geopolitical tensions, increasing defense budgets, a rise in counter-terrorism operations, and growing demand for enhanced infantry firepower.

The automatic grenade launcher market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $1.63 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7%. The growth projected for the forecast period can be attributed to increased integration with unmanned platforms, a focus on domestic manufacturing, adoption of smart ammunition, expansion of defense export markets, and a rising need for rapid deployment weapons. Key trends during this period include the development of vehicle-mounted systems, advancements in automation and targeting technologies, use of lightweight materials, adoption of programmable airburst munitions, and the creation of modular and customizable launcher designs.

Rising geopolitical tensions are expected to drive growth in the automatic grenade launcher market. Geopolitical tensions involve conflicts, rivalries, or strained relations between nations or political groups, often arising from disputes over territory, ideology, resources, or military dominance. The increase in such tensions is largely due to territorial disputes, as countries compete over land or maritime boundaries, frequently resulting in military confrontations and regional instability. Automatic grenade launchers are used in these conflicts to deliver rapid, high-volume firepower, supporting border security, urban combat, and suppression of enemy positions in contested zones. For example, in July 2024, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a US-based nonprofit specializing in conflict data, reported over 165,273 political violence events worldwide between July 2023 and June 2024 - a 15% rise compared to the prior year. Thus, escalating geopolitical tensions are propelling growth in the automatic grenade launcher market.

Key players in the automatic grenade launcher market are focusing on advanced technologies, including next-generation grenade launchers that improve precision, lethality, and operational flexibility for modern infantry forces. These systems combine semi-automatic firing, programmable airburst munitions, and smart fire-control optics to increase effectiveness against both exposed and concealed targets. For instance, in October 2024, Barrett Firearms, a US-based manufacturer, launched a 30mm semi-automatic grenade launcher as part of the U.S. Army’s Precision Grenadier System (PGS) program. This compact, magazine-fed launcher features a 305 mm barrel, a five-round center-loaded magazine, and weighs 6.3 kg. Its key capabilities include advanced fire-control systems that program various munitions such as counter-defilade and anti-drone rounds, enabling effective engagement from 35 up to over 500 meters. Additionally, it incorporates a sophisticated optical sighting system akin to the XM-157, improving targeting accuracy in dynamic combat scenarios. This next-generation launcher is poised to enhance infantry capabilities with smarter, more adaptable weapon platforms.

In May 2024, Repkon Machine & Tool Industry and Trade Inc., a Turkey-based defense and precision manufacturing firm, partnered with HAVELSAN to upgrade unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). This collaboration integrates Repkon Defence’s 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher (RDS40-AGL) with HAVELSAN’s UGV, BARKAN, enhancing the vehicle’s combat effectiveness. HAVELSAN is a Turkey-based defense and information technology company specializing in unmanned ground vehicles.

Major players in the automatic grenade launcher market are China Ordnance Industry Group Corporation Limited, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Thales Group, Ukroboronprom, Leonardo S.p.A, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, Rheinmetall AG, ST Kinetics Ltd, Elbit Systems Ltd., Saab AB, China North Industries Corporation, Moog Inc., China South Industries Grup Corporation, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., FN Herstal S.A., Denel Land Systems (Pty) Ltd, Rosoboronexport JSC, Arsenal JSCo, KBP Instrument Design Bureau, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co. KG., and Zastava Arms JSC.

North America was the largest region in the automatic grenade launcher market in 2024. The regions covered in automatic grenade launcher report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the automatic grenade launcher market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

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.

The sharp hike in U.S. tariffs and the associated trade disputes in spring 2025 are notably impacting the aerospace and defense sector by raising costs for titanium, carbon fiber composites, and avionics materials largely sourced from global suppliers. Defense contractors, locked into fixed-price government contracts, absorb these added costs, while commercial aerospace firms face airline pushback on higher aircraft prices. Delays in component shipments due to customs bottlenecks further disrupt tight production schedules for jets and satellites. The industry is responding by stockpiling critical materials, seeking waivers for defense-related imports, and collaborating with allied nations to diversify supply chain.

An automatic grenade launcher (AGL) is a weapon system designed to rapidly fire explosive grenades in succession, typically utilizing an automatic or semi-automatic firing mechanism. It equips infantry and vehicle-mounted units with the ability to deliver sustained indirect or direct fire at medium ranges, combining the destructive power of grenades with a high rate of fire to enhance battlefield effectiveness.

The main types of automatic grenade launchers include single-barrel grenade launchers, multi-barrel grenade launchers, recoil-operated grenade launchers, and gas-operated grenade launchers. A single-barrel grenade launcher consists of a single fixed tube that fires grenades one at a time, often operating with a simple break-action or sliding breech mechanism, which makes it lightweight and portable. Caliber options range from below 40 millimeters, 40 millimeters, to above 40 millimeters, and these launchers are deployed across various platforms including ground, naval, and airborne. They are utilized in diverse applications such as combat operations, counter-terrorism, urban warfare, and training, serving end users such as the military, law enforcement agencies, and others.

The automatic grenade launcher market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides automatic grenade launcher market statistics, including automatic grenade launcher industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with an automatic grenade launcher market share, detailed automatic grenade launcher market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the automatic grenade launcher industry. The automatic grenade launcher 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.

The automatic grenade launcher market consists of sales of airburst-capable systems, programmable munitions, high-explosive dual-purpose (HEDP) rounds, training grenades, and integrated fire 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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