Electronic warfare market seen reaching $23.85 billion by 2031

Mordor Intelligence projects the global electronic warfare market will rise from $15.62 billion in 2026 to $23.85 billion by 2031 as militaries spend more on spectrum control, counter-drone tools and system upgrades. Retrofit programs lead the fit mix, while autonomous systems, software-defined platforms and regional defense programs are reshaping demand.

Why it matters: - Military buyers are shifting spending toward spectrum control, counter-drone defenses and upgrades to existing platforms. - The market is projected to expand from $15.62 billion in 2026 to $23.85 billion by 2031, pointing to steady demand across air, sea, land and space applications. - Retrofit and upgrade programs are the biggest near-term opportunity, with retrofit programs holding 55.30% share.

What happened: - Mordor Intelligence said the electronic warfare market will grow at an 8.83% CAGR from 2026 through 2031. - The report says airborne and naval systems account for a major share of spending, while land-based and space-based platforms are also gaining attention. - Defense agencies are adopting software-defined systems, gallium nitride amplifiers and cognitive technologies to improve capability and lower upgrade costs. - Stricter export controls could complicate international procurement and push more countries to build regional suppliers.

The details: - Growing drone fleets are driving demand for compact electronic warfare payloads. - Armed services are treating counter-drone systems as standard equipment rather than optional add-ons. - Drones are also being fitted with small jamming payloads, expanding demand from both offense and defense use cases. - Rising global tensions are speeding procurement of jammers and resilient communications tools. - Spectrum dominance is increasingly treated as strategically important as air and sea superiority. - The report’s capability split covers electronic attack, electronic protection and electronic support. - Platform segments include air, sea, land and space. - Equipment segments include jammer systems, radar warning receivers, directed energy weapons, counter-unmanned aerial system electronic warfare suites and other equipment. - End users include the air force, navy and army. - Fit segments include OEM and retrofit/upgrades.

Between the lines: - The market is being shaped less by brand-new platforms and more by the need to refresh existing fleets with software, sensors and jamming capability. - Autonomous electronic warfare is moving from concept to field testing, which could shorten reaction times and reduce operator burden. - Regional procurement patterns matter because export restrictions may accelerate domestic development outside the biggest defense suppliers. - Europe is moving through joint programs, including the Eurofighter’s planned electronic attack configuration and GCAP-related sensing and electronic warfare work. - North America remains the largest market, supported by defense spending, JADC2 work, Canada’s F-35 acquisition and Mexico’s growing airborne signals intelligence use.

What's next: - L3Harris Technologies and Shield AI demonstrated an autonomous electronic warfare system in March 2026 using L3Harris’ Distributed Spectrum Collaboration and Operations platform with Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software. - The demonstration showed unmanned aircraft detecting, analyzing and responding to electromagnetic threats in real time. - In February 2026, the U.S. Army sought industry feedback on a possible indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for electronic warfare and signals intelligence equipment. - Mordor Intelligence said the acquisition approach is intended to improve lifecycle management of modular and adaptable electromagnetic warfare systems. - The research report is available in Japanese, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese through Mordor Intelligence.

The bottom line: - Electronic warfare is moving from niche modernization to a core defense priority, with upgradeable, software-heavy systems set to capture more of the market through 2031.