Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • Rising geopolitical tensions boost EW spend

Defence

Rising geopolitical tensions boost EW spend

An evolving threat landscape and impending modernisation of military aircraft will sustain demand for new, improved Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan.


Courtesy Frost & Sullivan.

The emergence of stealth and low observable aircraft along with Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) systems has made integrated air defence networks very complex and difficult to counter. Also, the development of new missile-seeker technologies for surface-to-air missiles poses a serious threat to aircraft as they bypass existing missile-detection systems.

Advertisement
PTC rectangle

The presence of these new threats is driving the demand for modern electronic warfare (EW) systems that are sensitive enough to detect and engage targets before they are visually seen. A recent analysis of the global military airborne electronic warfare market forecasts the sector to rake in revenues over $30.8 billion between 2018 and 2028, with $21 billion worth of addressable opportunities arising from the planned and forecasted procurement of EW equipment.

"Many countries will be modernising their aging fleets through upgrade or replacement programmes in the next 10 years," said Ryan Pinto, Research Analyst, Aerospace and Defence at Frost & Sullivan. "With an increased focus on EW systems, this modernisation phase will provide opportunities to replace their existing EW capabilities with modern systems that can counter new threat environments."

Frost & Sullivan's latest research, Global Military Airborne Electronic Warfare Market, Forecast to 2028, investigates the potential of military electronic warfare (EW) equipment in today's volatile geopolitical climate.

The report explores the trends influencing electronic warfare and the factors driving sector growth and offers a segment-wise analysis of the global electronic warfare market. The research also provides detailed revenue forecasts and identifies promising opportunities for growth in the sector.

With Russia demonstrating its advanced electronic warfare capabilities in Ukraine and Syria, China has refocused its efforts toward showcasing similar capabilities in the Pacific.

The two countries see EW as an important force multiplier during a conflict. This has made bridging the EW capability gap a major priority for the US and NATO countries to maintain their advanced capabilities and remain competitive. New threats in the EW domain will drive new research and procurement programmes.

"There is a growing need for indigenisation and collaborative production, especially in emerging markets such as Saudi Arabia and India," noted Pinto. "Defence majors will have to vary their market strategy accordingly to access emerging opportunities in these markets."

Companies operating in this sector can also foster growth by:

Advertisement
Security & Policing Rectangle
  • Offering more robust EW systems that would enable assets to conduct hybrid EW and CW tasks simultaneously.
  • Developing faster signal processing and miniaturisation to increase the sensitivity of jammers.
  • Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and neural networks to enable quicker reactions, faster identification and effective suppression.
  • Reducing the size of EW payload to enable horizontal integration of multiple payloads.

Global Military Airborne Electronic Warfare Market, Forecast to 2028, is a part of Frost & Sullivan's Aerospace & Defense Growth Partnership Service program, which helps organisations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.


 

 

Advertisement
ECS leaderboard banner
HRH The Princess Royal tours MTL Advanced in Rotherham

Aerospace Defence Events

HRH The Princess Royal tours MTL Advanced in Rotherham

10 March 2026

HRH The Princess Royal visited Rotherham based MTL Advanced (part of WEC Group) on Friday 20th February to meet apprentices, engineers and senior leadership, gaining an insight into the company’s continued investment in skills development, innovation and regional growth and learning about its new Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC).

ALL.SPACE and Viasat advance Ka-band connectivity

Defence Security Space

ALL.SPACE and Viasat advance Ka-band connectivity

10 March 2026

ALL.SPACE today announced a strategic collaboration with Viasat and the successful certification of the ALL.SPACE Hydra terminal to operate on the Viasat Global Xpress (GX) network, which provides integrated military Ka-band spectrum access for government and defence missions.

IFS completes acquisition of Softeon

Aerospace Defence Security Space

IFS completes acquisition of Softeon

10 March 2026

IFS today announced the completion of its acquisition of Softeon, providing enterprises across manufacturing, logistics and retail, with access to a new category of supply chain technology.

Babcock to support British Army

Defence

Babcock to support British Army's FEPS

9 March 2026

Babcock International Group has been awarded a contract to provide the British Army with in-service support for its Field Electrical Power Supplies (FEPS) power generators.

Advertisement
ODU RT
BAE Systems OneArc selected by Danish Army

Defence

BAE Systems OneArc selected by Danish Army

9 March 2026

BAE Systems OneArc has announced that it has been selected by the Danish Army as the foundation for its next-generation enterprise virtual training environment.

Isembard raises $50m to open 25 AI-powered factories

Aerospace Defence

Isembard raises $50m to open 25 AI-powered factories

9 March 2026

UK manufacturing startup Isembard - which manufactures components for aerospace, defence and robotics in factories powered by its proprietary agentic AI platform MasonOS - today announced it has closed $50 million in Series A funding, less than 12 months after its Seed round.

Advertisement
PTC rectangle
Advertisement
Security & Policing 2026