Cluster munitions market seen reaching $9.09 billion by 2030

The Business Research Company says the cluster munitions market will rise from $6.13 billion in 2025 to $6.62 billion in 2026, then reach $9.09 billion by 2030. The report points to geopolitical tensions, higher defense spending and modernization of strike systems as the main drivers.

Why it matters: - The market outlook points to rising demand for broad-area strike weapons as militaries respond to active conflicts and regional instability. - Higher defense budgets and stockpile replenishment are expected to support procurement, research and modernization of cluster munitions systems. - North America led the market in 2025, while Asia-Pacific is projected to grow fastest over the forecast period.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released an updated cluster munitions market analysis on June 30, 2026. - The report estimates the market at $6.13 billion in 2025 and $6.62 billion in 2026. - The report forecasts the market will reach $9.09 billion by 2030. - The report says the market will grow at an 8.0% CAGR from 2025 to 2026 and an 8.2% CAGR through 2030. - The company also published a free sample report and the full market report.

The details: - Cluster munitions are weapons designed to disperse multiple smaller explosive submunitions across a wide area. - The weapons are intended to target dispersed or mobile threats such as troops, vehicles and airfields. - Historical growth has been driven by Cold War-era artillery and air-delivered munitions, broader conventional warfare capabilities, widespread use of area-effect weapons and early submunition-based strike systems. - The report cites modernization of defense strike assets, geopolitical tensions, demand for rapid-response artillery systems, replenishment of defense stockpiles and hybrid and long-range precision engagement doctrines as future drivers. - The report flags area denial, battlefield saturation, cost-effective mass engagement weapons and precision submunition integration as key trends. - ACLED reported more than 165,273 incidents of political violence globally in July 2024, a 15% increase from the prior year. - SIPRI said global military spending rose from $2.28 trillion in 2022 to $2.44 trillion in 2023, the highest amount ever recorded. - The regional analysis covers Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America and the Middle East and Africa.

Between the lines: - The report frames cluster munitions demand as part of a broader shift toward weapons that can deliver wide-area effects quickly and at scale. - Rising geopolitical risk and larger defense budgets are reinforcing one another, which can accelerate procurement cycles for controversial but operationally efficient systems. - The focus on upgrades to legacy delivery platforms suggests buyers may prioritize incremental modernization over entirely new weapon families.

What's next: - The report expects continued market growth through 2030 as militaries modernize strike assets and rebuild inventories. - Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region as defense priorities and procurement patterns evolve. - The company said its 2026 report set now includes market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrices, Excel forecasting dashboards, hotspot infographics, key technology analysis and updated graphics and tables.