Frost & Sullivan estimates avionics upgrades for military transport and special-mission aircraft were worth more than $270 million last year, and predicts that the annual market will grow to almost $530 million by 2009.
Most of the large contracts, Frost says, are going to a few major companies that dominate the field of avionics for military transport aircraft. But niche suppliers are staying in the business by finding smaller upgrade programmes that fit their size, the analyst firm says.
Frost says the military avionics market is poised for growth, driven by escalating airlift operations worldwide and the resulting need for communication, navigation and surveillance equipment enabling military aircraft to share airspace with commercial airliners.
Avionics such as the traffic alert and collision avoidance system, terrain awareness warning system and equipment for reduced vertical separation minima operations are being installed in aircraft that regularly operate in civil airspace.
Source: Flight International