Military flat panel display market to explode by 2005

In the decade from 1996 to 2005 the market for U.S. defense and avionics-related flat panel displays (FPDs) is expected to grow by more than eight times, from $415 million 1996 to more than $4 billion in 2005, according to a new study by Frost & Sullivan in Mountain View, Calif., entitled "U.S. Military Display Markets." Driving this trend is the expanding role of command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence - better known as C4I - in U.S. military force-modernization efforts, Frost & Sullivan analysts say. Although cathode ray tube displays continue to dominate in certain areas, U.S. military officials are replacing them quickly with FPDs. This trend not only is broadening the market for fixed and portable displays able to withstand harsh operating environments, but it also is reducing the number of manufacturers that specialize in ruggedized cathode ray tubes, Frost & Sullivan analysts say. While active matrix liquid crystal displays make up the majority of current military FPDs, electroluminescent, gas plasma, and field emission displays are entering the market as competitive alternatives, analysts say. According to Frost & Sullivan, the biggest challenge facing FPD manufacturers is producing these displays at much lower costs than they can today. Military systems designers want ruggedized display manufacturers to commit to this small niche market. For more information, contact Kathleen Cooney at Frost & Sullivan by phone at 650-237-4385, by fax at 650-903-0915, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www. frost.com. - J.K.