BANNOCKBURN, Ill., 5 June 2009. The trade association representing North American printed circuit board manufacturers is asking industry for ideas on a study of the military electronics market for circuit board fabs, military electronics manufacturers, and military board suppliers.

The study would outline technology trends and outlook for the future. The study would be conducted by the IPC Association Connecting Electronics Industries in Bannockburn, Ill.

The geographic scope of the study will probably focus on the U.S. military market, but other regions of interest include China, Israel, and Europe. Consultants with experience in these other markets are welcome to propose optional add-ons to the project covering these markets.

The study should identify the major segments of the military electronics market and cover the relevant product types and technologies in each. It should include data on the size and recent growth of these segments, as well as forecasts of future growth. Emerging technologies with potential military applications will also be important.

Proposals should include:

-- size, composition, market drivers and technology trends in weapons, weapons platforms, missiles, military communications, space systems, night vision, ,simulation and training, and unmanned vehicles;
-- market drivers such as volume price, interconnection density, material/electrical performance;
-- how emerging technologies will influence military electronics;
-- military electronics requirements such as mil spec and ITAR; and
-- the market and outlook for military electronics in China, Israel, and the European Union.

Contractors are encouraged to offer separate bids for the various component parts of the project. The finished report will be about 30 to 50 pages long. Response to this request for proposal is due by 26 June 2009.

E-mail proposals to Sharon Starr, sharonstarr@ipc.org and Sree Bhagwat, sreebhagwat@ipc.org. For more information contact the IPC online at www.ipc.org.

This item originally appeared in SMT, where you can read the original story.