Report

Global airborne radars market is expected to see a CAGR of 9.82% during the forecast period 2025-2032, increasing from USD 16.15 billion in 2024 to USD 34.18 billion in 2032. Airborne radars have common applications in aircraft, missiles, air and ground defense systems. Airborne radars pick up objects by sending waves and studying the returned waves that bounce back. There are several types of radar systems used in aircraft, including altimeter radar, weather radar, terrain mapping radar, and ground moving target indicating radar.
The airborne radar industry is a large and expanding part of the global aerospace and defense sector. The market is witnessing growth due to the rising demand for surveillance, situational awareness, advanced warfare capability, and commercial aviation safety.
Modern radar systems play an important role in the market growth of airborne radar systems. Governments globally focus on increasing surveillance around their boundaries through unmanned aerial vehicles requiring high and advanced airborne radar systems. Airborne systems are also used in military applications such as airborne early warning and control, which are designed to detect aircraft, missiles, ships, etc. Modern airborne radars can detect aircraft up to 400km, which act as a game changer in the field. Radar companies are pushing their limits to provide the best and advanced radar to their consumer so that they can lead the market.
For instance, in October 2024, Robin Radar Systems and Parcom joined forces to accelerate the global expansion in technology and advancements. The company aims to continue its growth in the market while targeting growth in new sectors and geographies.
Increasing Utility of Airborne Radars in Industry and Defense
Airborne radar systems have evolved a great deal and are essential tools in the military and other sectors. They are now more lightweight, accurate, and capable of dealing with complex situations, which is why they are now necessary for security and commercial use. In civilian and industrial uses, airborne radars are increasingly utilized for weather observation, environmental monitoring, and natural disaster relief. Doppler radar systems onboard aircraft can monitor dangerous weather phenomena, provide aviation security, and avoid turbulence. Synthetic aperture radars are used in environmental and disaster relief operations like Mapping of flood regions, seismic damage evaluation, or complete deforestation monitoring, particularly in situations where optical sensors are not effective anymore, like at night or behind clouds. It diversifies the sales figures of the market and guarantees that it has reliable demand, playing a major role in its expansion.
For instance, in June 2023, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) developed a next-generation airborne radar with the potential to transform the capacity to observe, comprehend, and forecast high-impact weather. This will also be an improvement over the current radar, with the potential to sample the atmosphere at greater spatial resolution.
Enhancing Airborne Radar Capabilities Through AI Integration
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a critical enabler of stepped-up growth in the global airborne radar market, through improved system capability, more efficient operations, and new applications. AI algorithms allow radar systems to analyze big data in real-time, with higher accuracy and speed in threat vs. non-threat differentiation. This exponentially improves target detection, tracking, and classification, especially in cluttered environments or electronic warfare scenarios. AI also facilitates predictive maintenance of radar hardware through usage patterns analysis and early failure detection, thus reducing downtime and lifecycle expenses. In defense, AI drives unmanned aerial systems operations, where radars can function without human intervention, while real-time adaptation in changing combat operations is facilitated. In civilian applications, AI-powered radars are utilized in smart environmental monitoring, improved weather forecasting, and infrastructure surveillance.
For example, in February 2025, RTX Corporation displays its first ever AI-ML powered radar warning receiver for 4th generation aircraft. The Cognitive Algorithm Deployment System, or CADS, combines the latest Embedded Graphics Processing Unit with Deep Wave Digital's compute stack to enable the deployment of AI models into proven Raytheon RWR systems to assist with AI/ML processing on the sensor.
Dominance of Airborne Radars in Military and Defense
Radar in the air can be transmitted in real time through surveillance, persecution, and targeting, dominating modern defense and military systems. Aviation operating systems are key to air superiority and provide early warnings about incoming threats, interceptor leadership, and improved situational awareness. Aerial platforms provide greater mobility and cover as floor-based radar, allowing them to recognize low-flight or stealth targets that are otherwise invisible to traditional radar systems.
For instance, in March 2025, Saab and Radionix signed an MoU regarding the intention to form a strategic collaboration relating to sensors and defense electronics, aiming to strengthen defense capabilities.
In April 2025, Israel Aerospace Industries and DCX Systems formed a new company called ELTX. The partnership is to enable the transfer of high-tech defense technology and experience, specifically in the areas of airborne radar systems as well as ground defense weapons.
Europe Leads the Global Airborne Radar Market
A combination of high technical capability, solid defense equipment, and heavy investments in aviation technology has driven Europe to the international market for atmospheric operational radar. The key countries are France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, needing radar systems for manned and unmanned vehicles for surveillance, education, and tactical missions. Having top defense firms like Thales Group, Leonardo, and Airbus Defense & Space in Europe can facilitate challenging radar solutions across a range of military and civilian uses.
For instance, in February 2025, TEKEVER, the European market leader in UAVs, announced a two-year partnership with IMSAR (a U.S. based company) that designs and manufactures airborne radars. The agreement includes a valuable preferred partner support package and volume pricing options from IMSAR, as well as a bilateral commitment to marketing support for combined capabilities offered by TEKEVER and IMSAR.
Impact of U.S. Tariffs on Global Airborne Radars Market
- Encourages Domestic Manufacturing: Instead of paying high taxes on these systems, countries encourage startups and other manufacturers to build the radars in their own country.
- Reduces Exposure to Geopolitical Risk: Due to in-house production, consumers are less dependent on potentially adversarial nations (example; China for electronics).
- Increases in Production Cost: The cost of airborne radar production increased due to tariffs on steel, aluminium, and electronics.
- Reduce Export Competitiveness: As U.S. has increased tariffs, other countries consumers are not pleased due to their higher prices on radars, making them less attractive globally.
Key Players Landscape and Outlook
Ongoing innovation defines the regime of airborne radars worldwide, as manufacturers vie to outdo each other in detection range and accuracy, cost and life cycle value, system integration, and special features. The prognosis for the market is good, driven by growing demand for quality defense systems, AI, and professional workload. Airborne radar companies are interested in supply chain robustness, power efficiency, and eco-friendliness, which will set the tone for the industry in the future. Alliances and emerging technologies will be expected to enhance competition within this dynamic market.
For instance, in March 2025, EDGE Group PJSC and Thales Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen their collaboration in radio communication. This agreement will support the UAE's ambition to enhance the operational capabilities of its armed forces, particularly in equipping UAVs with advanced military communication technologies.