New Benchmark Report Details Role of Batteries in Global Military Applications
Drones accounted for 40% of defense battery demand, which reached 4.3 GWh globally in 2025.
Defense battery demand reached 4.3 GWh globally in 2025, with drones accounting for 40% of that consumption—the largest single driver of military battery use according to a new report from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
What Happened
The Special Issue report examines global battery demand for defense applications. Drones represented 40% of the total 4.3 GWh in demand, while soldier power systems—radios, GPS, night vision, and lasers—accounted for 29%. Benchmark notes that since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, drones have evolved from support systems into primary battlefield assets. The analysis also highlights that China holds the world's largest and most vertically integrated drone industry, making modern drone warfare dependent on Chinese-origin inputs across critical mineral, battery, and magnet production. In 2025, most military drones used NCM or LCO chemistries, though Benchmark forecasts high-nickel NCM cells will become dominant over the next decade.
Why It Matters
The findings reveal structural vulnerabilities in Western defense supply chains that extend beyond military applications. China dominates upstream battery and critical mineral production—the same materials and components that underpin commercial EVs and grid storage. As militaries scale drone procurement, they compete for the same lithium, cobalt, and nickel supplies that EV manufacturers rely on. This dual demand creates pressure on material availability and pricing, with governments potentially prioritizing defense contracts over civilian automotive orders during shortages. For EV makers already navigating tariff disputes and supply constraints, the growing appetite for batteries in the defense sector adds another layer of geopolitical complexity to an industry still working to scale production and bring costs down.
The Bottom Line
Defense battery demand remains a small share of the global market but is growing rapidly. 'Drones have clearly risen to be the most influential aspect of modern military battery demand,' said Will Roberts, Benchmark's Automotive Research Lead, adding that major militaries are still in early stages of strategic investment.
