Sky Wars: The Satellite Arms Race—Government and Military Satcom Procurement Trends 2025–2035
Governments worldwide are entering a “Sky Wars” satellite arms race – a contest to secure robust military satellite communications for the coming decade. From 2025 to 2035, defense agencies are pouring resources into Satcom as warfighters demand resilient, everywhere-connectivity. The Ukraine conflict underscored Satcom’s importance, spurring militaries to accelerate investments. Global government/military Satcom spending is projected to climb steadily, rising from roughly $50 billion in 2024 to $64 billion by 2030 ts2.tech ts2.tech. This surge is driven by unprecedented bandwidth needs for data-heavy systems and fears that adversaries could disrupt communications. The result is a procurement boom – from new state-of-the-art satellites and ground terminals to bulk leasing of commercial bandwidth – all aimed at gaining a strategic edge in secure connectivity.
