The military radar systems market is of four types: naval, airborne, ground-based and space-based systems.

Naval Military Radar Systems Market

The naval military radar systems market is the largest sector of the overall market. It is due to the considerable cost and complexity of naval radar systems, and the large scale procurement of naval systems worldwide.

In the past, each weapon system on a warship would be equipped with a separate radar system. The current trend is for the integration of multiple radar systems into only one phased array radar. Such devices enable a ship to perform various functions simultaneously such as surface detection and tracking, airborne threat identification, missile direction. One of the examples of such a system is the US AN/SPY-1 radar which makes a part of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS). Moreover, there is a desire to deploy radars that can scan in all directions at once. The traditionally rotating radar has been replaced with the so-called “staring” radars.

Airborne Military Radar Systems Market

Airborne military radar systems are smaller and cheaper than those deployed on naval vessels, but the greater acquisition of airborne platforms means that they nonetheless represent a considerable sector. The most advanced planes are typically equipped with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar systems. AESA produces superior coverage in comparison with the Passive Electronically Scanned Array (PESA) and the mechanically scanned array.

Furthermore, AESA arrays give operators a fast and accurate data feed in real-time. The main advantage of AESA over a PESA is that the different modules can operate on different frequencies allowing the AESA to produce numerous “sub-beams” and actively “paint” a much larger number of targets. AESA systems can work in various modes, such as air-to-air and air-to-ground.

A further aspect of the airborne military radar systems market concerns the deployment of radars on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) – for which advances in miniaturisation will be required.
Maritime patrol aircraft and air-ground surveillance (AGS) systems are typically equipped with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems. The system provides high-resolution 3D images for ground moving target indication (GMTI) by employing radio waves which help to see through the dark or in low visibility situations such as stormy weather. A leading example is the Lynx SAR/GMTI fitted to the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B) UAV. SAR is often thought of as a sensor system due to it producing visual imagery but is, in fact, a radar system due to the radio waves it uses.

Ground-Based Military Radar Systems Market

The continued development of ground-based military radar systems represents an enduring desire to afford both states and armed forces with the greatest possible protection from threats. Ground-based radars include mobile and deployable systems that can detect, locate and identify threats on the battlefield such as mortars, rockets and shells. The inexorable pursuit of technologies that can protect men and machines on the ground drives advances in such systems. Fire-locating radars are an essential element in directing counter-fire and in the nascent field of hard-kill protection systems. Moreover, ground-based missile interception systems – such as the Israeli Iron Dome – are becoming increasingly capable and refined.

Larger systems that can detect more existential threats – such as ballistic missiles provide a layer of protection that states are increasingly apt to consider as a necessity.

Space-Based Military Radar Systems Market

The space-based military radar systems market benefits significantly from the technological advances made in the field of airborne systems. Space-based radars have the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems that can deliver images of the earth. There is an evident demand for ever-increasing levels of detail in such images, and the desire to acquire and maintain such capabilities is present throughout advanced and emerging economies.