Airborne Early Warning Aircraft Market Global Report 2026

The airborne early warning aircraft market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $4.97 billion in 2025 to $5.38 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to the growing need for enhanced airspace surveillance, increasing military spending on airborne defense systems, rising requirement for real-time battlefield situational awareness, expanding adoption of airborne command and control capabilities, and increasing threats posed by advanced aircraft and missile systems.

The airborne early warning aircraft market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $7.22 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing demand for multi-domain command and control capabilities, rising need for early identification of hypersonic and low-observable threats, growing demand for extended-range surveillance missions, increasing modernization of aging airborne early warning fleets, and rising demand for interoperable airborne defense networks. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing use of advanced radar technologies for long-range threat detection, growing demand for multi-domain surveillance capabilities, rising adoption of network-centric airborne command and control systems, increasing demand for extended mission endurance, and greater integration of advanced electronic warfare capabilities.

The increasing military surveillance requirements are expected to drive the growth of the airborne early warning aircraft market going forward. Military surveillance requirements refer to the need for continuous monitoring, detection, tracking, and intelligence gathering across air, land, and maritime domains to strengthen national security and defense operations. The increasing military surveillance requirements are rising due to escalating geopolitical tensions, prompting defense forces to strengthen continuous monitoring and early threat detection to enhance national security. The increasing military surveillance requirements support airborne early warning aircraft by driving demand for advanced airborne radar, real-time threat detection, and battlefield coordination capabilities that strengthen situational awareness and mission effectiveness. For instance, in February 2026, according to Gov.UK, a UK-based official digital portal for the UK government, uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) incidents near United Kingdom Ministry of Defence sites increased from 126 in 2024 to 266 in 2025, more than doubling within a year and highlighting the growing need for enhanced military surveillance and early threat detection capabilities. Therefore, the increasing military surveillance requirements are driving the growth of the airborne early warning aircraft market.

Key companies operating in the airborne early warning aircraft market are focusing on procuring advanced airborne surveillance platforms to modernize defense capabilities, strengthen multi-domain situational awareness, and address evolving security threats. An airborne surveillance platform is an aircraft equipped with integrated sensors and mission technologies that provide persistent detection, tracking, monitoring, and situational awareness across air, land, and maritime environments. For example, in July 2026, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a Belgium-based intergovernmental military alliance, announced the joint procurement of Saab GlobalEye airborne surveillance platforms as its new airborne warning and control system. The procurement will replace part of the alliance’s aging airborne early warning fleet with platforms capable of delivering integrated surveillance across air, land, and sea while improving detection and tracking of complex threats. The initiative strengthens operational readiness, enhances collective defense capabilities, and reflects growing investment in next-generation airborne early warning systems.

In May 2026, CAE Inc., a Canada-based flight training company, partnered with Saab AB to support Canada’s Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) program based on the GlobalEye platform. Through this partnership, the companies aim to enhance Canada’s future airborne surveillance capabilities by combining advanced training, simulation, and mission support solutions that improve operational readiness and strengthen long-term defense cooperation. Saab AB is a Sweden-based manufacturer of airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, including the GlobalEye and Saab 340 AEW&C (Erieye) airborne surveillance platforms.

Major companies operating in the airborne early warning aircraft market are The Boeing Company, Airbus SE, RTX Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Leonardo S.p.A., BAE Systems plc, L3Harris Technologies Inc., Thales Group, Rostec State Corporation, Aviation Industry Corporation of China Ltd., Bombardier Inc., Embraer S.A., China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, Saab AB, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., Indra Sistemas S.A., Bharat Electronics Limited, Aselsan Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., HENSOLDT AG, Hanwha Systems Co. Ltd., TTM Technologies Inc.

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

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

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