Forecast Suggests It Will Lead The Field For At Least The Next
Decade
The Joint Tactical Radio System
(JTRS) and the Multifunction Information Distribution System (MIDS)
will be the most dominant factors within the US airborne
communications market over the next 10 years. These programs
combined will account for 72.65 percent ($1.994 billion) of the
projected $2.743 billion US military airborne communications
market, according to Forecast International's "The Market for US
Military Airborne Communications Systems." The MIDS program alone
is estimated to be worth $1.168 billion during the period,
according to Electronics Systems Analyst Mark Cowell.
Since its successful deployment in Afghanistan, demand for MIDS
has been high. Able to provide real-time transmission of
reconnaissance/targeting data, MIDS has significantly reduced the
time required to detect, identify, and engage targets. Several
airborne platforms, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),
carry or will be fitted with MIDS. In both Afghanistan and Iraq,
datalink-equipped UAVs have been widely used as strike vehicles, as
well as for surveillance and targeting.
Data Link Solutions (DLS), a joint venture between Rockwell
Collins and BAE Systems, and ViaSat, Inc. are both major suppliers
of MIDS terminals to the US forces. In December 2004, these two
contractors were awarded contracts valued at $82 million and $61
million, respectively, for product improvement of the MIDS terminal
to a four-channel JTRS software communications compliant
architecture. Although these companies compete to supply the US
with MIDS terminals, they will cooperate on the development of the
MIDS JTRS terminal. Once developed, ViaSat and DLS will compete to
sell MIDS JTRS terminals to the US and its allies.
Following MIDS, the JTRS program will account for 28.51 percent
($782.1 million) of the 10-year market share. "JTRS is
expected to replace all radios presently used by the US military,"
said Cowell.
Under the first cluster of the JTRS
program, an airborne variant of JTRS is currently being developed
specifically to equip the US Army helicopter fleet. Other airborne
JTRS variants will be developed under the Airborne, Maritime and
Fixed-Station (AMF) JTRS program.
"Demand for programs such as MIDS and JTRS will be strong during
the forecast period as both existing and new- build aircraft will
be fitted with these systems," said Cowell. Worldwide, more than
4,000 military fighter/attack/jet trainer aircraft will be
constructed between 2005 and 2014. Of that number, 1,171 are to be
US-built fighters, with 722 (F/A-18, F-22, and F-35) designated for
the US When military transports, special mission aircraft, and
rotorcraft are combined, more than 11,000 military manned airborne
platforms will be built worldwide. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
could add roughly 5,000 more potential platforms. As UAVs will need
to transmit the data they collect; data links such as MIDS will
likely be fitted to each UAV. The US will likely be the recipient
of the majority of the UAVs constructed between 2005 and 2014.