Weapons Carriage and Release System Market Size & Growth

^{_{Update: 11/28/2024}}

Weapon Carriage and Release System Market Size & Growth

The Global Weapon Carriage and Release System Market Size was valued at USD 463 Million in 2021 and is estimated to reach USD 571 Million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period. The Weapons Carriage and Release Systems Market is growing at a significant rate across the world, and a similar trend is expected to be observed during the forecast period. The rising demand of different types of missiles with various ranges to defend the nation from various threat is driving the market are fueling the growth of the Weapons Carriage and Release Systems Industry. From short-range anti-aircraft and anti-armor missiles to short, medium, and long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, ballistic and cruise missiles, they are now a vital part of the country's most capable armed forces. The rising adoption of these systems is largely a function of their perceived military effectiveness.

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COVID-19 Impact on the Weapon carriage and release system Market

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant damage to economic activities of countries across the world. The manufacturing of weapons carriage and release system, including systems, subsystems, and components, has also been impacted. Although carriage and release system is critically important for military aircrafts in defense, disruptions in the supply chain had halted their manufacturing processes for the time being. Resuming manufacturing activities depends on the level of COVID-19 exposure, the level at which manufacturing operations are running, and import-export regulations, among other factors. While companies may still be taking in orders, delivery schedules may not be fixed.

Weapon Carriage and Release System Market Trends

Driver: Increasing use of different types of missiles with various ranges to defend the nation from various threat

Advanced precision-guided weapon technology is now a prerequisite for a modern military inventory. From short-range anti-aircraft and anti-armor missiles to short, medium, and long range air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, ballistic and cruise missiles, they are now a vital part of the country's most capable armed forces. The rising adoption of these systems is largely a function of their perceived military effectiveness.

Weapons designed to engage enemy aircraft at distances less than 30 km are called short-range air to air missiles (SRAAMs) and are sometimes called dogfight missiles because they are designed to optimize their agility rather than range. Mostly used infrared guidance and are called homing missiles. In contrast, medium- or long-range missiles (MRAAM or LRAAM), which both fall under the beyond visual range missile category (BVRAAM) such as MICA, METEOR missiles, tend to rely on radar guidance, which comes in the form of radar guidance. The increase in adoption of various weapons will drive the weapon carriage and release systems market.

For instance, in July 2021, Bharat Dynamics Limited signed a contract with the Indian Ministry of Defence worth around USD 66 million for the manufacture and supply of Akash missiles to the Indian Air Force.

Restraints: Regulatory obstacles related to arms transfers

Worldwide, the defense industry must comply with the laws and guidelines of various government agencies on the transfer of weapons and ammunition. The manufacture and export/import of weapons must comply with many rules and regulations, such as import and export control regimes and exchange controls. In some countries, weapons/arms manufacturers are prohibited from exporting their products, which reduces their chances of finding international customers. For instance, the US passed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and the Export Administration Act of 1979 to control corrupt practices aimed at affecting foreign government officials or exporting to countries that threaten national security.

Opportunities : Advanced weapon launchers

Cobham has built the AML-016 based on the design of the next-generation AML-014 short range air to air missile (SRAAM) launcher. The AML-016 will enable carriage of short, medium, and beyond visual range air to air missile (BVRAAM) missiles on inboard and outboard wing stations. The AML-016 embodies several key design features and meets all military design specification requirements for safe weapon carrier and will ensure optimum performance of current and future air-to-air missiles. The Multi-Missile Launcher (MML) is a state-of-the-art rail launcher capable of carrying a range of various missiles without the need for role change. A unique modular construction allows the MML to interface with short, medium, and beyond visual range missiles.

Challenges: Reducing performance failures

Weapons carriage and release systems face various performance issues while delivering weapons. The problems include failure to release or launch weapons, irregular release of stores, and irregular functioning. The problems arise due to several factors, including improper maintenance of release systems, improper attachment of weapons and stores, and failure of components, among others. The failure of weapons carriage and release systems may also result in damage to the airborne platform carrying the weapons and mission payloads.

Weapon Carriage and Release System Market Segments

Increase in procurement of fighter aircrafts will drive the market

Procurement programs for fighter aircraft around the world have led to a continuous increase in combat aircraft fleets. The increasing fleets of aircraft have created an increasing demand for modular carriage and release systems. These systems are being employed on combat aircraft, combat support aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

According to the World Air Forces 2021 report released by Flight International in partnership with Embraer, the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps together operate just over 13,000 military aircraft. Although the F35 entered service, the F16C remains the most common fighter aircraft in the US with 803 in service. It is also the most widely used fighter jet in the world, with 2,267 operated by air forces of various countries, according to the report. Russia has the second-largest fleet of fighter aircraft in the world in 2021 with just over 4,000 in service. The Su27 / Su30 Flanker is still the backbone of the Russian Air Force and is the second most common fighter jet in service today with around 1,000 in use by a long list of operators such as the 'Ukraine, India and Malaysia. It is now integrated into the service by the advanced Su57. China has the third-largest inventory of fighter aircraft with 3,160 aircraft in service.

The missiles segment is projected to lead the weapons carriage and release system market from 2021 to 2026.

Based on weapon type, the weapons carriage and release system market has been classified into missiles, bombs, rockets, and torpedoes. The missiles segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the weapons carriage and release system market in 2021. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the increased deployment of missiles in fighter aircraft, helicopters, and combat support aircraft for a range of operations. Fighter aircraft deploy missiles according to mission needs. They carry air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles having varied range and capabilities. Weapons carriage and release systems are used to carry and release single and multiple missiles. Companies such as ALKAN, L3Harris Corporation, Cobham PLC, and Marvin Engineering, among others, provide weapons carriage and release systems for carrying single and multiple missiles.

Based end user, OEM is projected to lead the weapons carriage and release system market from 2021 to 2026.

Based on end use, the weapons carriage and release system market has been classified into original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and aftermarket. The OEM is estimated to be a larger market then aftermarket segment. The weapons carriage and release systems installed in new aircraft are covered under the OEM segment. This segment includes the installation of weapons carriage and release systems in various airborne platforms, including fighter aircraft, combat support aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs. The OEM segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR. This can be attributed to the increasing inventory of newly inducted airborne platforms, including unmanned aerial vehicles, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighter aircraft, and helicopters. The use of these airborne platforms is increasing in applications such as anti-submarine warfare, air-to-ground support, and air defense roles. Moreover, the development of new missiles such as beyond-visual-range missiles, anti-radiation missiles, etc., for newly inducted platforms have also added to the demand at the OEM level.

Weapon Carriage and Release System Market Regions

The North America is projected to grow at a the highest rate within the weapons carriage and release system market from 2021 to 2026

Based on region, North America is projected to grow at the highest rate within the weapons carriage and release system market from 2021 to 2026. Significant investments in RandD activities for the development of advanced weapons carriage and release systems by key players and increased demand for fighter aircraft fleet are some of the factors expected to fuel the growth of the weapons carriage and release system market in this region. The US is expected to drive the growth of the North American weapons carriage and release system market during the forecast period, owing to easy access to various innovative technologies and significant investments being made by manufacturers in the country for the development of improved military weapon systems. Several developments have taken place in the field of weapons carriage and release system in the region. For instance, as per DoD 2019 – Five Year Plan, the US is projected to induct more than 1500 F-35s in the coming years. This is expected to result in an increasing demand for weapon carriage and release systems. Companies such as Harris, Cobham, and others are focusing on the development of internal carriage and release systems for fifth-generation aircraft.

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Weapons Carriage and Release System Companies: Top Key Market Players

Prominent companies in this market include well-established, financially stable manufacturers of carriage and release system providers with a global presence. These companies have been operating in the market for several years and have a diversified product portfolio, state-of-the-art technologies, and robust global sales and marketing networks. The Weapons Carriage and Release System Companies is dominated by globally established players such as:

• L3Harris Technologies (US)
• Cobham PLC (UK)
• Systima Technologies (US)

These players have spread their business across various countries includes North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Rest of the World. COVID-19 has impacted their businesses as well.

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Scope of the Report

The study categorizes the weapons carriage and release system market based on weapon type, platform, system component, end user, and region.

By Solution

• Bomb
• Missile
• Rockets
• Torpedos

By Platform

• Fighter Aircrafts
• Combat Support Aircrafts
• Helicopter
• UAV

By System Components

• Carriage System
• Release System

By End User

• OEM
• Aftermarket

By Region

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• Rest of the World

Recent Developments

• In September 2021, L3Harris Technologies has received a 10-year contract worth of USD 947 million for engineering services in support of an aircraft electronic warfare system initiative from the US Air Force.
• In April 2021, Cobham Mission Systems, a business division of Cobham PLC, announced that it has won subcontracts to provide chaff and flare dispenser equipment for the German Air Force’s Quadriga Tranche 4 Eurofighter Typhoon fleet.
• In January 2021, Marotta Controls had designed and will be manufacturing a new Control Actuation System (CAS) for the U.S. Navy’s Supersonic Propulsion Enabled Advanced Ramjet (SPEAR) project. The Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division is co-developing the SPEAR demonstrator with Boeing, which will help the Navy determine technical requirements for future carrier-based weapons systems.
• In October 2020, The US Navy awarded an Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract worth USD 496 million to L3Harris Technologies for further the Next Generation Jammer Low Band (NGJ-LB) capability. The contract includes the final design efforts and manufacturing of eight operational prototype pods and four test pods that will be used for numerous levels of testing and fleet employment to include reliability, functionality, and integration with and carriage on the EA-18G Growler host aircraft.
• In September 2020, Marvin Group’s engineering unit had secured a seven-year contract to provide missile launch systems and bomb ejector racks for the US Navy’s fighter and electronic warfare aircraft platforms worth of USD 132.5 million. Marvin Engineering will supply 1,339 BRU-32B/A ejector rack assemblies and 1,056 LAU-127E/A single-rail guided missile launchers to the service branch for use on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler planes.
• In April 2020, Marotta Controls had designed and will be manufacturing a new Control Actuation System (CAS) for Northrop Grumman. The CAS will be integrated into Northrop’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile – Extended Range (AARGM-ERs) specified for US Navy and Air Force use. The AARGM-ER will be integrated on the F/A-18E/F, EA-18G and F-35. The companies’ fourth collaboration, the AARGM-ER program leverages Marotta’s vertically integrated capabilities advanced technical solutions from spec to production.
• In October 2019, The Pentagon revealed that L3Harris Technologies obtained avionics supplier contracts for the US Navy F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets aircraft. The contract consist of building 112 Fibre Channel Network Switches for Kuwaiti E/A-18G, F/A-18 E/F and E-2D aircraft and two switches for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Center's Manned Flight Simulator Laboratory.

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