PALO ALTO, Calif., 11 April 2008. Casualties sustained in Afghanistan and Iraq by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have prompted the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to pay greater attention to electronic warfare (EW) programs, says a new report from Frost & Sullivan.
The report, "U.S. Electronic Warfare Markets," finds that the market earned revenues of $1.25 billion in 2008 and estimates this figure to reach $1.31 billion in 2013.
"U.S. military operational and technological domination has resulted in adversaries using 'asymmetrical' methods to counter U.S. strength," notes Frost & Sullivan senior industry analyst Brad Curran. "The U.S. is sometimes slow to counter these unconventional threats that exploit gaps in technology, techniques, and procedures. Potential large nation-state adversaries have also begun to research ways to exploit the seams in U.S. conventional power."
The Army's Electronic Warfare Technology program funds systems to enhance EW offensive operations and lethality, as well as protect ground forces against IEDs.
"The U.S. DoD has a shortage of airborne radar and communications jamming capability," explains Curran. "Under the current AEA doctrine, the Navy is primarily responsible for the EW mission and the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). The Air Force is scheduled to take over in 2012."
Industry participants would benefit from pooling resources and building teams to compete for contracts as the number of EW programs, engineers, project managers, and platforms decreases.
"U.S. Electronic Warfare Markets" is part of the Aerospace and Defense Growth Partnership Service program, which also includes research in the aircraft and homeland security market.
