The Tactical Communication market is expected to grow from US$ 18,122.45 million in 2022 to US$ 29,142.61 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2022 to 2028.

Improved system reliability is a critical aspect of a country's purchasing of airborne communication equipment. Advanced hardware components assist in collecting and distributing imagery across multiple defense platforms, such as combat vehicles and command centers. Airborne surveillance systems, including commercial and military, evolved throughout time and continue to improve. Further, the satellite-limited and contested battlefield environments rely on advanced, secure, beyond-line-of-sight (BLoS) communications. These monitoring radars are placed in key locations to improve detection rates. Modern airborne surveillance systems with low false alarm rates encourage countries with border conflicts, security, safety, and many more designs for military vehicles, emergency vehicles, command posts, and any other situation requiring high-quality intra-crew and inter-network audio communications. This is increasing the tactical communication market growth.

In the military business, rapid technological advancements are leading to disruptive technologies. For instance, the Manpack and Leader Radio tactical data radios have been given Full-Rate Production (FRP) contracts by the US Army. The FRP award comes after two years of operational trial with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, according to the Program Executive Office (PEO) C3T, which oversees the procurement process. In January 2021, an initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) at Fort Bragg helped affirm a choice to move through with the FRP decision.

Thus, several major industry players in the tactical communication market, including Leonardo S.p.A (Italy) and Lockheed Martin (the US), are emphasizing developing and offering tactical communication systems for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform, which is propelling the growth of the tactical communication market.

COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Tactical Communication Market

Asia Pacific (APAC) was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Asian countries experiencing a drop in GDPs, international trade, and economy. The APAC military electronic industry was disrupted during the first half of 2020, leading to a massive decline in the revenue of key players operating in the tactical communication market. The outbreak resulted in a decrease in military operations and disruptions of supply chains across the region. Many emerging economies had to reduce their defense budget and redirect the funding to fulfill healthcare demands, which further led to the reduction in military expenditure.

Most APAC countries witnessed key tactical communication market players losing significant revenue. For instance, the Indian defense enterprise lost ~US$ 3 billion in revenues between March and May 2020. It impacted large, small, and medium enterprises operating in the Indian aerospace & defense sectors. The lockdown affected the import and export of various raw materials procured to develop radio and other defense equipment, further delaying many military and defense programs that needed communication equipment. These factors contributed to the slight decline in the growth of the APAC tactical communication market.

The US is the world's largest military spender. The US has the largest defense budget globally, and a large amount of this budget is contributed to the adoption and procurement of upgraded technologies, safety, and security that further augment the demand for tactical communication in the country. According to SIPRI, the country's military spending decreased from 3.7% of GDP in 2020 to 3.5% in 2021. In 2021, the US military spending was US$ 801 billion, down 1.4% from 2020. Between 2012 and 2021, US funding for military research and development (R&D) increased by 24%, while funding for arms purchases decreased by 6.4%. In 2021 spending on both decreased. However, the decrease in R&D investment (-1.2%) was less than the decrease in arms procurement spending (-5.4%).

Over the next few years, the country expects to raise financing for communications, sensors, and electronics by ~20%. During the forecast period, the demand for leader and manpack radios is expected to be high due to US 'handheld, manpack, and small form-fit (HMS) program, which is targeted at buying a family of software reprogrammable radios for tactical voice and data communications. 100,000 leader radios; 65,622 manpack radios; 21,579 rifleman radios; and 104,496 single-channel data radios are among the Army's current acquisition goals. For instance, Thales stated in January 2021 that the US Army had given them its third delivery order for the AN/PRC-148D Improved Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (IMBITR). With this recent award, the total number of IMBITR radio orders has surpassed ~6,000. Furthermore, in 2022, the US Army has awarded two separate contracts to sole contractor General Dynamics Missions Systems for Tactical Network-On-the-Move communication systems and equipment. The US Army Contracting Command awarded two contracts totalling US$ 74.99 million for support services and US$ 20.34 million for engineering and technical support to incorporate On-the-Move technologies. Such factors are aiding the tactical communication market growth in the US.

Some of the key tactical communication market players profiled in this market study include BAE Systems PLC, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Thales Group, General Dynamics Corporation, and Elbit Systems Ltd.

The overall tactical communication market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the tactical communication market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining an overview and forecast of the tactical communication market size with respect to all market segments. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants to validate the data and gain more analytical insights. The participants typically involved in this process include VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, national sales managers, and external consultants-such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders-specializing in the tactical communication market.