Ballistic Protective Equipment Market Analysis By Material (Aramid, Composites, UHMWPE, Steel), By Product (Head Protection, Soft Armor, Hard Armor), By End-use (Defense, Commercial, Law Enforcement & Safety), And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global ballistic protective equipment market size was valued at USD 3.87 billion in 2015. The industry is anticipated to witness sustainable growth over the forecast period on account of growing internal as well as external security threats as a consequence of conflicts between nations along with rising warfare situations. Growing national anti-terrorist attack preparedness in most of the economies have also dramatically impacted sales of armor wear globally.

North America remained a dominant consumer of armor wear globally with the U.S. being the frontrunner over the past decade. Active involvement of the U.S. military in the Middle Eastern conflicts coupled with threats of fatal attacks from various terrorist organization over the past few years has fueled the North America ballistic wear market growth. Increasing pressure on the U.S. federal government to sustain itself as a military superpower is also projected to drive the regional industry.

U.S. ballistic protective equipment market by material, 2014 - 2025 (USD Million)

Increasing need for innovative devices and gadgets on account of technological advancement is also anticipated to increase the product demand over the forecast period. The high cost associated with protective equipment is projected to hamper the industry growth over the projected period.

The heavy material weight is affecting the personnel mobility adversely which is also expected to negatively impact the industry growth. Increasing usage of better raw materials to decrease ballistic product weight along with innovation of breathable armor wear is anticipated to create new opportunities for the industry participants for further investments.

Raw Material Insights

The major raw materials include powder mixture of ceramics & metallic compounds, fabrics, and other high performance materials such as carbon polymers, steel, and titanium. Aramid fiber emerged as the leading raw material segment and accounted for over 33% of the total revenue in 2015. Ability of the aramid fiber and relative blends to be easily molded for manufacturing ballistic helmets and body armor is the key factor responsible for high market penetration.

Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is anticipated to emerge as the fastest growing material segment with an estimated CAGR of 4.6% from 2016 to 2025. The finished products are majorly used across the defense industry for personnel protection and tactical armor wear, owing to its very high impact strength and excellent stab resistance. Excellent mechanical properties that tend to decrease time spent in material molding and cutting, thus enhancing faster manufacturing on short delivery time-periods are the major factors expected to drive the segment growth over the forecast period.

Majority of the recent developments were focused towards the use of composites consisting of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and other nanomaterial’s for providing lightweight with enhanced protection from high-velocity projectiles to the protective wear is anticipated to increase the composite material growth especially from hard armor segment.

Product Insights

Soft armor market net worth exceeded USD 1,600 million in 2015. Innovations in developing integrated under suit system, exoskeletons, and soft ballistic protection plates is anticipated to drive soft armor demand and provide better speed with improved flexibility suited for a broad range of missions.

Helmets are anticipated to emerge as the fastest growing end-use and gain product share by 1.1% by 2025. Increasing head protection equipment demand by counter-terrorism units, terrestrial army, military sniper teams, and infantry combat is anticipated to drive the segment growth over the next nine years.

Hard armor is projected to account for the highest proportion of expenditure especially due to rising demand for body armor and personal protection from Brazil over the next few years. Brazilian law enforcement and military sectors are moving towards upgrading their armor and ammunition inventory for tackling the domestic crime and terrorism which is anticipated to increase the hard armor demand in the region over the forecast period.

End-use Insights

The defense sector enjoyed the lion’s share in the global market owing to the significant demand for ballistic helmets and hard body armor. A large number of counter-terrorism initiatives adopted by several countries over the past few years have contributed to the significant penetration of product demand in the defense sector.

Global ballistic protective equipment market by end-use, 2015 (USD Million)

Ballistic protective equipment demand in law enforcement industry was valued at USD 1,258.5 million in 2015 and is anticipated to emerge as the fastest growing end-use segment, which can be attributed to the increasing adoption of efficient bulletproof equipment such as shields, body armor, and helmets to counter the civil unrest and riots.

Regional Insights

Growing concern towards body protection against small arms across various countries in North America and Europe has significantly contributed to soft body armor demand over the past few years.

North America is the major market for soft armors owing to most of the soldier modernization programs being conducted in the region. The U.S. is also involved in the expansion of Buffalo A2 Bar Armor Kits program which will also increase the demand for ballistic protective equipment market.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth on account of dynamic geopolitical relations among South Asian countries such as Pakistan, Vietnam, India, China, and Bangladesh. The rising military spending by China and India as part of their geopolitical strategies is projected to balance Asia Pacific market growth over the forecast.

Africa ballistic protective equipment industry value is anticipated to reach over USD 205 million by 2025. Modernization of armed forces mainly influences African military expenditure. There is an enduring threat of militants and insurgency problems in the Eastern and Northern Africa countries including Egypt, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan, which is likely to escalate the product demand. Ballistic protective equipment demand in the region is anticipated to witness moderate growth due to the rising hard body armor requirements from South African defense and law enforcement departments.

Competitive Insights

The prominent raw material vendors in the body armor industry include DuPont Company, Honeywell International, Inc., Toyobo Co., and Teijin Twaron. The ballistic protective equipment manufacturers procure the raw materials for commencing the production of bulletproof helmets, soft, and hard armors. The major vendors operating in this industry include MKU, 3M Company, BAE Systems Plc, EnGarde, PSP, Inc., and Tencate.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth and provides an analysis on the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this report, Grand View Research has segmented the global ballistic protective equipment market on the basis of material, product, end-use and region:

• Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Aramid

  • Composites

  • UHMWPE

  • Steel

  • Others

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Head protection

  • Soft armor

  • Hard armor

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • Defense

  • Commercial

  • Law Enforcement & Security

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • U.S

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • Austria

    • Belarus

    • Belgium

    • Bosnia & Herzegovina

    • Bulgaria Croatia

    • Cyprus

    • Czech Republic

    • Denmark

    • Estonia

    • Finland

    • France

    • Germany

    • Greece

    • Hungary

    • Iceland

    • Ireland

    • Italy

    • Latvia

    • Lithuania

    • Malta

    • Montenegro

    • Netherlands

    • Norway

    • Poland

    • Republic of Macedonia

    • Romania

    • Russia

    • Serbia

    • Slovakia

    • Slovenia

    • Spain

    • Sweden

    • Switzerland

    • Turkey

    • Ukraine

    • United Kingdom

       

  • Asia Pacific

    • Australia

    • China

    • India

    • Indonesia

    • Japan

    • Malaysia

    • Mongolia

    • New Zealand

    • Philippines

    • Singapore

    • South Korea

    • Thailand

    • Vietnam

• • Central & South America

    • Brazil

    • Argentina

  • Middle East

    • Saudi Arabia

    • UAE

  • Africa