Latin American Defense Growth Opportunities

Equipment Modernization Plans Collide with Economic Realities

In this research service, the analyst provides an overview of the Latin American defense market, highlighting growth drivers and restraints, growth opportunities, and notable companies with active contracts or a presence in the region. The study also outlines the most relevant projects and programs as well as representative contracts.

Latin American militaries are going through modernization and refurbishment processes to update their equipment and stay up to date with advances in military technology. The combination of rising inflation and slowing economic growth in Latin American countries has resulted in general budget limitations that affect the defense sector to a certain degree. This becomes particularly significant when procuring military equipment from international companies.

A spending priority for Latin American militaries is the acquisition of advanced land vehicles that are essential for missions including border security operations and combating drug trafficking. Unmanned systems, particularly unmanned aerial vehicles, also are valuable because they can easily navigate hostile environments such as the Amazon rainforest, where drug cartels sometimes operate, and can effectively carry out surveillance.