A Triton Market Research report has determined that the directed energy weapons market in the Middle East and Africa will expand at CAGR of 20.28% during the projected period 2019-2028.
The countries scrutinized in the Middle East and Africa market are:
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates
• Turkey
• South Africa
• Rest of Middle East & Africa
The Middle East is a leading importer and provider of less lethal weapons. In April 2013, a Brazilian company, Condor Non-Lethal Technologies, signed an agreement worth $12 million with the Government of UAE to supply 600,000 units of non-lethal ammunition. Further, in 2015, Ukraine announced that it would buy non-lethal weapons from the United Arab Emirates. Besides, an alarming rise in violent activities between Sunnis and Shiites has created civil unrest in many parts of Saudi Arabia. For instance, in January 2016, following the mass execution of 47 people, including the preacher Nimr al-Nimr, led to the severing of ties with Iran and resulted in social unrest among the Middle Eastern countries. This situation is likely to drive the market growth in this region. The civil unrest between Sunni-Shiite communities has led to violent riots in the country multiple times. These factors are expected to positively impact the growth of the directed energy weapons market in the region.
In Turkey, a major weapons manufacturer and defense contractor, Roketsan, launched its first locally-developed directed-energy weapon, Alka, which can destroy hostile drones. Similarly, Turkey also made use of laser weapon technology in Libya to shoot down Chinese UAV Wing Loong II. These factors indicate the growth of the studied market in the country.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd is a company engaged in the designing, development and marketing of different defense systems for land, air, sea and space applications. The company offers armor, missiles, combat vehicles, air defense systems, weapons and military electronics. It serves the aerospace and defense sector across the world. Thor is a directed energy weapon provided by the company. It operates in different regions, including the Middle East.
Some noteworthy companies in the directed energy weapons market are BAE Systems, Rheinmetall AG, Lockheed Martin Corporation, L3 Harris Technologies Inc, QinetiQ, Boeing, Moog Inc, Raytheon Company, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, MBDA, Textron Inc, and Applied Companies.