Nuclear bombs, missiles market 'to reach $126B' by 2030

While North America dominates more than half the global market, the report by Allied Market Research predicts the fastest growth from China, India, and Pakistan to bolster their nuclear arsenals.

Increase in geopolitical conflicts and bigger military budgets would likely push the figure up, the report says.
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Increase in geopolitical conflicts and bigger military budgets would likely push the figure up, the report says.

The global market for nuclear missiles and bombs may surpass $126 billion within ten years, up nearly 73 percent from 2020 levels, according to a report by Allied Market Research, as Russian aggression in Ukraine spurs military spending.

"The global nuclear bombs and missiles market was valued at $72.64 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $126.34 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5.4 percent from 2021 to 2030," the report said on Monday.

An increase in geopolitical conflicts and bigger military budgets would likely push the figure up, the report said.

US President Joe Biden last week requested a record peacetime national defence budget, which would prioritise modernising its nuclear "triad" of ballistic missile submarines, bombers and land-based missiles.

The report predicted that demand for small nuclear warheads, which can be easily deployed through aircraft and land-based missiles, would fuel faster growth in these segments, although submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) accounted for a quarter of the market in 2020.

While North America dominated more than half the global market in 2020, the report predicted the fastest growth would come from the Asia-Pacific region on initiatives by China, India, and Pakistan to bolster their nuclear arsenals.

"However, international treaties and consortiums discourage nuclear testing," the firm said in a report summary. "This hampers the market growth."

READ MORE: Global spending on nuclear weapons on rise even amid Covid

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'Lion's share'

It predicted that the rising influence of non-nuclear proliferation treaties and national efforts should increase the number of warheads in storage or awaiting dismantlement.

Active weapons, however, accounted for the "lion's share" –more than two-thirds – of the market in 2020, it said, due to investment in nuclear arsenals and new warhead purchases.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States at the start of the year issued a joint statement saying there could be no winners in a nuclear war and it must be avoided.

READ MORE: US nixes ICBM test due to Russia nuclear tensions

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