Articles by Asif Anwar, Program Director, Strategy Analytics

 In this article we review some of the key defense industry news as the second quarter of 2015 comes to a close, covering radar, electronic warfare, weapons systems and communications. We also look enabling technology related news as well as discussing business event, product announcements, milestones and contract activity. 

Strategy Analytics defense research has just completed a comprehensive analysis of the military communications sector, looking at radios, communications satellites, VSAT terminals, datalinks, networks and other systems. Trends driving spending on the military communications sector will be underpinned by network-centric IP-based communications that will translate to spending on global military communications systems growing to over $35.3 billion in 2024, representing a CAGR of 3.4%.

 Strategy Analytics was at CS International 2015 last week, held in Frankfurt, Germany. Eric Higham, Director of Strategy Analytics’ Advanced Semiconductor Applications (ASA) service kicked off proceedings with insights into the challenges and prospects for GaAs and other RF technologies as increasing data consumption translates to ever more sophisticated cellular terminal front-ends.  

Defense is the best form of attack for GaN as shown in Strategy Analytics’ latest forecasts outlining the RF market opportunity for a technology that has been on the cusp of breaking into the semiconductor mainstream for the past several years. The GaN RF Market Update: 2014 - 2019 forecast and associated data model, forecasts a CAGR of more than 20% translating into a market worth more than $500 million in 2019.

 The global military radar market will grow at a CAGR of 3.6% over the 2013 to 2023 forecast timeframe with the total market worth over $18.5 billion in 2023. The Strategy Analytics Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) service series of forecasts covering the global military radar market in terms of expenditure as well as system shipments across the land, air, sea and space domains also include the following observations. 

 Amid a challenging budgetary environment, global militaries are faced with the challenge of reducing costs while maintaining and even enhancing defense capability in critical areas to counter unforeseeable asymmetric and conventional warfare threat environments while adjusting to shifting battle-space paradigms of net-centricity, cyber-warfare and electronic warfare. 

 While attending the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and the biennial Farnborough International AirShow (FIA) 2014, I had the opportunity to attend a Lockheed Martin F-35/F-16 preview day held at RAF Fairford, the venue for RIAT, as well as taking a few days to attend FIA 2014. 

The UK was host to air shows recently with the annual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and the biennial Farnborough International AirShow (FIA) 2014. I had the opportunity to attend a Lockheed Martin F-35/F-16 preview day held at RAF Fairford, the venue for RIAT, as well as taking a few days to attend FIA 2014.

Developments in March included Freescale’s continued expansion of its defense product portfolio and Raytheon’s demonstration of GaN-on-Diamond device technology. Major contract activity included South Korea’s stated intent to purchase Lockheed Martin F-35s and Northrop Grumman Global Hawks while both Airbus and Boeing look set to benefit from a $23 billion Qatar re-equipment plan. Activity across the radar, EW, communications and weapons systems categories included contracts for ground penetrating radar, interoperability testing of radios with the MUOS satellite communications network and Anglo-French collaboration on the development and production of a joint Anglo/French light anti-ship missile.