Mortar Ammunition Market Report 2026

Mortar Ammunition Market Overview

• Mortar ammunition market size has reached to $2.65 billion in 2025 • Expected to grow to $3.38 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9% • Growth Driver: The Rising Incidences Of Geopolitical Tensions Is Fueling The Growth Of The Market Due To Increasing Military Preparedness And Border Security Demands • Market Trend: Strategic Collaborations Boost Mortar Ammunition Production And Innovation • North America was the largest region in 2025 and Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region.

What Is Covered Under Mortar Ammunition Market?

Mortar ammunition consists of explosive rounds launched from mortar systems, compact, mobile artillery weapons designed for high-arching fire. This ammunition is primarily used to suppress enemy troops, destroy fortified positions, and provide crucial fire support during infantry operations in various terrains, including urban settings. Their lightweight design and indirect fire capability make them highly effective for targeting enemies hidden from direct view. The main types of mortar ammunition are high-explosive (HE) mortars, illumination mortars, smoke mortars, training mortars, and guided mortars. High-explosive (HE) mortars deliver powerful fragmentation blasts for suppressing enemy forces and remain the most widely used indirect-fire support in infantry combat. The component types include mortar shells, fuzes, propellant charges, and cartridges with various calibers, such as 60 millimeter (mm) mortar ammunition, 81 millimeter (mm) mortar ammunition, 120 millimeter (mm) mortar ammunition, and others. It is applicable in several applications, including infantry support, artillery support, counter-insurgency, and urban warfare, and is used by various end-users, such as the military, defense contractors, government agencies, and research and development organizations.

What Is The Mortar Ammunition Market Growth Forecast?

The mortar ammunition market size is expected to see steady growth in the next few years. It will grow to $3.38 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing adoption of extended-range and precision-guided smart mortars for enhanced targeting, increasing demand for airburst rounds to improve effectiveness against dispersed threats, rising investment in modular and multi-purpose mortar ammunition systems, expansion of non-lethal mortar options for peacekeeping and crowd-control missions, accelerating innovation in lightweight materials to improve mobility and logistics efficiency. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing adoption of precision-guided mortar ammunition, rising demand for extended-range and bunker-busting mortar rounds, growing emphasis on mortar effectiveness in urban warfare and counter-insurgency operations, expansion of specialized training and simulation mortar rounds, standardization and interoperability of mortar calibers and ammunition across allied forces.

Global Mortar Ammunition Market Segmentation

1) By Type: High-Explosive (HE) Mortars, Illumination Mortars, Smoke Mortars, Training Mortars, Guided Mortars 2) By Component Type: Mortar Shells, Fuzes, Propellant Charges, Cartridges 3) By Caliber: 60 Millimeter (mm) Mortar Ammunition, 81 Millimeter (mm) Mortar Ammunition, 120 Millimeter (mm) Mortar Ammunition, Other Caliber Ammunition 4) By Application: Infantry Support, Artillery Support, Counter-Insurgency, Urban Warfare 5) By End-User: Military, Defense Contractors, Government Agencies, Research And Development Organizations Subsegments: 1) By High-Explosive (HE) Mortars: Fragmentation Rounds, Blast Rounds, Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM), Extended Range High-Explosive (HE) Mortars 2) By Illumination Mortars: Visible Light Illumination, Infrared (IR) Illumination, Parachute-Based Illumination, Star Shell Illumination 3) By Smoke Mortars: White Phosphorus Smoke, Colored Smoke, Infrared Obscurant Smoke, Non-Toxic Smoke 4) By Training Mortars: Inert Rounds, Marker Rounds, Reduced Range Practice Ammunition (RRPA), Simulated High-Explosive (HE) Rounds 5) By Guided Mortars: Global Positioning System (GPS)-Guided Mortars, Laser-Guided Mortars, Inertial Navigation System (INS)-Guided Mortars, Dual-Mode Guided Mortars

What Is Driver Of The Mortar Ammunition Market?

The increasing geopolitical tensions are expected to propel the growth of the mortar ammunition market going forward. Geopolitical tensions refer to strained political relations between countries or regions, often leading to conflict or increased military preparedness. Geopolitical tensions are rising as global power rivalries are intensifying, leading to more border disputes and military posturing among nations. Mortar ammunition supports military readiness during geopolitical tensions by offering swift and adaptable firepower in contested areas. Its indirect fire capability boosts ground troops’ effectiveness through rapid response and territorial control. For instance, in December 2024, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a US-based non-profit research organization specializing in conflict data analysis, over 165,273 political violence events were recorded globally between July 2023 and June 2024, marking a 15% increase compared to the previous year. Therefore, the increasing geopolitical tensions are driving the growth of the mortar ammunition industry.

Key Players In The Global Mortar Ammunition Market

Major companies operating in the mortar ammunition market are China North Industries Group Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, BAE Systems plc, Thales Group, Leonardo S.p.A., Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd., Rheinmetall AG, Elbit Systems Ltd, Hanwha Aerospace, Diehl Defence, Saab AB, Day & Zimmermann, Poongsan Corporation, Nammo AS, Yugoimport SDPR, KNDS Group, ARSENAL JSCo, Hirtenberger Defence Systems GmbH & Co KG, STV Group.

Global Mortar Ammunition Market Trends and Insights

Major companies operating in the mortar ammunition market are focusing on developing strategic partnerships to meet the growing demand for advanced, precision-guided mortar systems. Strategic partnerships involve alliances between companies to combine resources, expertise, or technology for shared advantages. These collaborations help drive innovation, strengthen logistics, and expand market presence. For instance, in February 2023, Ukroboronprom, a Ukraine-based defense enterprise, collaborated with an unspecified NATO member country to jointly produce 120 mm mortar ammunition. The manufacturing is carried out at multiple facilities, including sites in a European NATO country, to fulfill a contract with Ukraine's Ministry of Defence and supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which heavily use this type of ammunition in ongoing military operations.

What Are Latest Mergers And Acquisitions In The Mortar Ammunition Market? Rheinmetall AG Acquired Expal Systems To Strengthen Programmable Ammunition And Defense Capabilities

In August 2023, Rheinmetall AG, a Germany-based defense and automotive technology company, acquired Expal Systems S.A.U. for $1.37 billion (€1.2 billion). Through this acquisition, Rheinmetall aims to boost its ammunition production capacity and enhance its expertise in precision and programmable munitions. The integration of Expal’s advanced manufacturing and artillery capabilities strengthens Rheinmetall’s technological edge. It also expands the company’s presence across Europe and NATO-aligned markets. Expal Systems is a Spain-based manufacturer of mortar systems for platforms and ammunition.

Regional Insights

North America was the largest region in the mortar ammunition market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in this market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in this market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain

What Defines the Mortar Ammunition Market?

The mortar ammunition market consists of sales of thermobaric mortars, bunker-busting rounds, extended-range smart mortars, non-lethal mortar rounds, and airburst mortars. 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.

How is Market Value Defined and Measured?

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.

What Key Data and Analysis Are Included in the Mortar Ammunition Market Report 2026?

The mortar ammunition market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides market statistics, including industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with the market share, detailed market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the mortar ammunition industry. The market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future state of the industry.