Military Wearables Market (2026-2036)

The growth of this market is mainly driven by large-scale soldier modernization programs, the digitization of dismounted mission command, rising demand for advanced night vision and situational awareness, and increasing European defense spending on tactical communication and soldier equipment. However, the weight and ergonomic burden of body-worn systems and the growing electrical power demands placed on the individual soldier restrain the growth of this market.

Furthermore, AI-enabled mixed-reality headsets, soldier health and performance monitoring, and integrated soldier power and data architectures are expected to offer growth opportunities for the stakeholders in this market. However, the electronic signature of connected wearables and the risk of detection and targeting remain a major challenge impacting the growth of this market. Additionally, the convergence of commercial consumer technology with defense wearables, the shift from standalone devices to integrated soldier systems, and software-defined wearables with over-the-air updates are prominent trends in this market.

The Military Wearables Market comprises electronic and smart devices worn on the body by military personnel to enhance situational awareness, communication, lethality, survivability, and readiness. The market includes helmet-mounted and head-worn displays, including night vision goggles, thermal imagers, and augmented and mixed-reality headsets; tactical hearing protection and communication headsets; body-worn computing and end-user devices for mission command; wrist- and ring-worn health and performance monitors; wearable power sources and power management hubs; body-worn navigation and sensors; smart textiles; and exoskeletons. Body armor, ballistic helmet shells, handheld and manpack radios, and platform-integrated aircrew helmet display systems are excluded from the market value, and wearable batteries are included only as part of soldier power management. The market ecosystem extends from component, sensor, optics, and chip suppliers to wearable device manufacturers, soldier system integrators, defense prime contractors, commercial technology partners, and armed forces.

The market is experiencing strong growth as armed forces equip the individual soldier as a networked node. Germany's IdZ-ES soldier system program illustrates the scale of this investment. In February 2025, the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) signed a framework contract with Rheinmetall worth up to EUR 3.1 billion gross through the end of 2030, including a firm order of about EUR 417 million for the modernization of 68 existing platoon systems and 24 new platoon systems. In April 2026, the BAAINBw placed a further call-off worth EUR 1.04 billion for 237 additional platoon systems, to be delivered between November 2027 and December 2029, equipping an additional 8,600 soldiers and bringing the Bundeswehr to 353 platoon systems comprising more than 12,000 individual sets of equipment. According to Rheinmetall, each platoon system comprises 35 individual soldier systems with IT equipment, optics, optronics, clothing, and protective equipment, and the program is prepared for connection to Germany's D-LBO digital communication network.

In the U.S., the Army is re-shaping its approach to soldier-worn mixed reality. The Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), awarded to Microsoft in 2021 under a contract valued at up to USD 22 billion, faced soldier feedback on weight, form factor, and nausea. In April 2025, the Army approved the transfer of the IVAS contract to Anduril, and the Army submitted a USD 229.9 million reprogramming that reduced planned procurement of IVAS 1.2 from 3,162 systems to zero in order to fund its successor, the Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) system. In September 2025, the Army awarded prototype agreements of USD 159 million to Anduril and USD 195 million to Rivet for an 18-month rapid prototyping effort, with a downselect and production award reported as possible in fiscal year 2028.

Night vision remains the largest and most mature military wearable category and is undergoing a major modernization cycle. L3Harris has delivered more than 20,000 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle - Binocular (ENVG-B) units, and Elbit Systems of America received a USD 212 million ENVG-B delivery order in May 2026 for deliveries through 2028. The Army also awarded contracts worth USD 1.27 billion for the Binocular Night Observation Device (BiNOD), a helmet-mounted, lower-cost binocular night vision system, to L3Harris (USD 466 million), Elbit Systems of America (USD 450.6 million), and Photonis Defense (USD 352.6 million), with an estimated completion date of February 2033.

Growth is also supported by rising European defense spending and a shift toward integrated soldier systems. INVISIO, a supplier of tactical communication and hearing protection systems, reported record fourth-quarter 2025 revenue of SEK 684 million, a 10-year framework agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard worth up to SEK 930 million, and a five-year framework agreement with the Dutch Ministry of Defense worth up to SEK 365 million, and has estimated its total annual addressable market at SEK 25 billion. At the same time, soldier health and performance monitoring is gaining traction: Oura, which has worked with the U.S. Department of Defense since 2019 and deployed tens of thousands of rings across the armed services, was awarded a contract of more than USD 96 million in October 2024 and is establishing a manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, to fulfill defense contracts from 2026.