Autonomous Weapons Market

Autonomous Weapons refers to those weapons that can select (search, detect, and evaluate the threat and track), engage and destroy targets without the human intervention. Autonomy in weapons system to increase the efficiency of military operations. Today, autonomy is already used for a wide variety of military tasks, including many related to the use of force. These include: identifying, tracking, prioritizing and cueing targets; deciding the timing of when to fire a weapon; maneuvering and homing in on targets; and detonation timing. It can be classified into two types such as autonomous and semi-autonomous. Autonomous weapons would be “self-targeted weapons” indicating that the weapon itself is the one choosing the specific target to be engaged and destroy its own. Semi-autonomous weapons would be “human-targeted weapons” making clear that, while other functions may use autonomy including ability to search and identify targets within a set of preprogrammed parameters based on sensor input, the human is still choosing the weapon.

The battlespace has become highly networked and digitized, where military forces are deploying sophisticated systems to effectively combat opponent attacks. With modernization programs in emerging economies, there have been substantial developments in the field of military weapon systems. Increase in funding from military research agencies and rise in R&D activities to develop weapons with advanced technologies are driving the increased adoption of autonomous weapons in the military sector. It is expected that further developments in autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon systems will allow military forces to apply force more precisely and with less collateral damage than would be possible with existing systems. US, Russia and China are making their own investments in hypersonic technologies.

The report provides in-depth analysis of the autonomous weapons market. It provides information about the current trends in the market with respect to product, technology platforms, type and, the regional market scenario. It also provides information about the top 25 players operates in the autonomous weapons market.

It throws light on the current market trends, the drivers and restraints of this market and the challenges faced in the market along with the burning issues that will impact the growth of this market.

Key Players:

Companies such as Lockheed Martin (US), General Dynamics Corporation (US), Raytheon (US), MBDA (France), Northrop Grumman (US), Rheinmetall AG (Germany), Thales Group (France), KBP Instrument Design Bureau (Russia), Kongsberg Gruppen (Germany), Israel Aerospace Industries (Israel), NORINCO (China), Denel SOC Ltd. (South Africa), Kalashnikov Concern (Russia), BAE Systems (UK), and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. (Israel) are some of the leading players have made significant contribution to the global autonomous weapons market.

Recent Developments

• Lockheed Martin received contract worth up to USD 480 million for the critical design review, testing and production readiness support of the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW)
• Northrop Grumman acquired Orbital ATK and become Northrop Grumman’s fourth business sector, named Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. The acquisition was valued at USD 7.8 billion.
• In November 2017, Raytheon joined with Saab to develop new weapon systems for soldiers operating in critical environments
• In June 2017, BAE Systems entered into a collaborative agreement with Leonardo to offer new large caliber precision-guided solutions to the US Military and its allies.

Key Questions

• How will the drivers, challenges, and opportunities for the autonomous weapons market affect its dynamics and the subsequent market analysis of the associated trends?
• What are the key sustainability strategies adopted by leading players operating in the autonomous weapons market?
• Who are the upcoming disrupters in this market that can be potential targets for partnership/mergers?
• Who are the top players operating in this market?
• Where are the new geographies that can be potential revenue pockets for autonomous weapons?