Electronic warfare market expecting its outlook for growth to be extremely favourable

The electronic warfare market has been forecast to hit a market value of $9.87 billion in 2012, with investment in major electronic warfare programmes expected to be a continuing priority for Western militaries even whilst they experience cuts in their budgets.

The growth of electronic warfare (EW) over recent years has been a reflection of advancing technology, combined with increasing demand due to operational deployment overseas. The major factor, however, expected to impact the EW market over the course of the next decade is the state of public finances, and as a consequence the size of military budgets.

EW refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly unimpeded access to, the EM spectrum.

EW capabilities are sought by militaries worldwide for both offensive and defensive tasks, with the protection of troops and hardware at the centre of the quest for EM spectrum dominance. Indeed, achieving superiority over enemy forces in the EM spectrum domain is seen as vital for the success of any military operation within the context of modern warfare.

EW is becoming increasingly indispensable to modern military forces, resulting in robust demand even in times of budgetary constraint. This necessity of EW capability in maintaining effective air forces and navies also means that as emerging economies seek to enlarge and modernise their capabilities they are likely to pursue swift programmes of EW procurement.

Couple this with a strategic environment beginning to again favour hi-tech, platform based warfare and the outlook for growth in the electronic warfare market looks extremely favourable.

The EW market is highly consolidated, with a handful of defence suppliers dominating the global market. Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Raytheon are the leading global defence suppliers.

For more information on the electronic warfare market, see the latest research: Electronic Warfare Market

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