The autonomous military weapons market has seen considerable growth due to a variety of factors.
• The market for autonomous military weapons has seen a swift expansion in the past years. Its growth trajectory predicts a rise from $16.08 billion in 2024 to $17.71 billion in 2025, posting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2%.
Factors such as historical conflict and military tactics, past and present investments in research and development, regulatory developments, previous budget assignments, and past triumphs and setbacks have contributed to the growth during the historical period.
The autonomous military weapons market is expected to maintain its strong growth trajectory in upcoming years.
• In the coming years, the market size of autonomous military weapons is projected to experience a swift expansion. The market is projected to reach a value of $26.17 billion by 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3%.
This growth during the forecast period can be linked to factors like the adoption by non-state actors, the dynamics of the supply chain, public opinion and advocacy, changes in geopolitics, and competition and innovation in the industry. Major forecast period trends encompass public understanding and acceptance, cooperation and partnerships, geopolitical strains, ethical issues, and cost efficiency.
The autonomous military weapons market has seen growth due to the capacity to execute hazardous tasks meticulously. The incorporation of autonomy in weapons helps in shielding military staff from perilous assignments or impending human life dangers. Besides, the enhanced speed of decision making and constant target monitoring could potentially boost precision. The system allows for increased information access, improved accuracy, and better predictive capabilities for certain operations, thus liberating humans from monotonous or recurring tasks and facilitating entry into areas unapproachable by remote control technologies. Representing significant investors in artificial intelligence (AI) for weaponry, countries like the USA, China, and Russia are racing for dominance in this field. For instance, in March 2023, as per the US-based independent entity, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a racially provoked shooting incident in Buffalo, New York in May 2022 resulted in 10 fatalities. Investigations concerning domestic terrorism have seen a surge of 357% in the last decade. Anti-government or anti-authority motivated violent extremism, resulting in 15 deaths, was the second highest category of incidents. Consequently, the capacity to strike the target free of human intervention while also reducing risk to human life is set to propel the autonomous military weapons market.
The autonomous military weapons market covered in this report is segmented –
1) By Type: Autonomous, Semi-Autonomous
2) By Product: Missiles, Rockets, Guided Bombs, Target Pods, Others
3) By Platform: Land, Airborne, Naval
Subsegments:
1) By Autonomous: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs), Naval Autonomous Systems, Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS)
2) By Semi-Autonomous: Remote-Controlled Weapons, Human-In-The-loop Systems, Targeting Systems With Autonomous Features
Leading firms in the autonomous military weapons market are concentrating on the creation of innovative offerings, such as unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), to ensure dependable service delivery to clients. UGVs are operator-less vehicles moving on land. Specifically, in February 2023, BAE Systems Australia, a company based in Australia that offers various defense and security services, introduced the STRIX hybrid VTOL unmanned air system. This system is capable of executing air-to-ground attacks by carrying specific munitions for attacks on terrestrial objectives, thereby boosting combat potency. Besides, the STRIX is engineered for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, permitting real-time data gathering and heightened situational comprehension. It can serve as a "loyal wingman," working in tandem with manned aircraft to offer additional support and firepower.
Major companies operating in the autonomous military weapons market include:
• China North Industries Group Corporation Limited
• Aviation Industry Corporation of China
• Raytheon Technologies Corporation
• The Boeing Company
• Lockheed Martin Corporation
• Airbus Group Inc.
• Kalashnikov Concern LLC
• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
• General Dynamics Corporation
• Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
• Rostec State Corporation
• BAE Systems plc
• L3Harris Technologies Inc.
• Thales Group
• Textron Inc.
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.
• Rheinmetall AG
• Elbit Systems Ltd.
• Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.
• Saab AB
• Kongsberg Gruppen ASA
• Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
• Bharat Electronics Limited
• Palantir Technologies Inc.
• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc.
• Denel SOC Ltd.
• Anduril Industries Inc.
• Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.S.
Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the autonomous military weapons market in 2024. Western Europe is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the autonomous military weapons market share during the forecast period. The regions covered in the autonomous military weapons market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.