Tag Archives: outlook

Turkmenistan Wary of Afghan Border

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by Derek Bisaccio, International Military Markets Analyst, Forecast International.

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov steps out of a truck and, after posing for pictures, takes aim at several targets, first with a rifle, then a handgun, and lastly throwing knives. He then calls in helicopter strikes during the military exercise. The video, which first aired on Turkmen State TV, gained prominence after the Chronicles of Turkmenistan, a dissident website, satirized the original by editing in clips of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando, a 1985 movie. Continue reading →

Airborne Retrofit & Modernization Highlights – 8/14/17 Edition

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by Matthew Beres, Airborne Retrofit & Modernization Analyst, Forecast International.

KC-10 Refueling Mission
Source: U.S. Navy

This blog post briefly highlights recent Airborne Retrofit & Modernization news.  The Retrofit and Modernization market forecast provides comprehensive coverage of major airframe, propulsion, electronics, and armament programs for military, commercial, and civil aircraft markets. These programs are broken down into their major component categories, including a detailed quantitative data set, buttressed by greater qualitative economic updates and analyses.  More in-depth news can be found in Forecast’s E-Market Alert. To the minute R&M news can also be found via the Forecast R&M twitter account, @MBeresFI. Continue reading →

Forecast International Launches Improved U.S. Defense Budget Database

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by Shaun McDougall, Military Markets Analyst, Forecast International.

Source: Forecast International’s U.S. Defense Budget Forecast

Forecast International is pleased to announce the launch of a newly enhanced U.S. Defense Budget Forecast database, now featuring the ability to track major program spending and identify winners and losers within every Pentagon budget request.  FI’s budget database provides quick access to DoD request and forecast budget data, justification documents, congressional markups, and more.  The Pentagon’s massive weapons spending plan can be sorted by value, with options for filtering programs by appropriation title (R1/P1), service, and appropriation account.       Continue reading →

Dolphins in Trouble

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by Stuart Slade, Senior Naval Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

Dolphin-Class Submarine. Source: IDF Navy

With the original group of Dolphin-class submarines designed to have a hull life of 30 years and a design initiation-to-commissioning cycle of at least 10-15 years, attention turned to designing replacements for the first three submarines in 2015.  At first, Israeli ambitions seemed somewhat excessive, with references to “an entirely different submarine from the Dolphin or the Dolphin AIP.” Reality appears to have set in, however, with attention now focused on an upgraded version of the Flight II Dolphin class that includes “some room for growth, with new materials, better sonar … but pretty much the same design.” Continue reading →

Boeing on a Roll; Both Civil and Military Markets Remain Strong

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by Edward Nebinger, Forecast International.

Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus tanker program will be a key revenue driver for the firm. Image: Boeing

Recent reports of significant layoffs by Boeing have proven to be of little concern to Wall Street investors, who shrugged those actions off as an efficiency move. Not only that, Boeing stock rose dramatically to a new high last week, and during a two-day period jumped 28 points, sending the Dow Jones Average to a new all-time high. Continue reading →

Production of ALQ-99 Jammer Wrapping Up, but Sizable O&M Support Expected

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by C. Zachary Hofer, Electronic Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

E/A-18G Growler with ALQ-99 on outboard stations.

Production of Harris Corp’s ALQ-99 airborne tactical jammer is expected to end in 2018, following the production of 34 units from 2017 through 2018.  The ALQ-99 will be superseded by the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ), which will enter U.S. service in 2020.  Continue reading →

Australia’s G550 AISREW Program Will Require a World’s Worth of Electronics, But So Far, None from Australia

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by C. Zachary Hofer, Electronic Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

Australia’s new AISREW platform based on the Gulfstream G550, will likely resemble this artist impression. (Image: Gulfstream)

The U.S. State Department recently approved a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Australia of five Gulfstream G550 Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare (AISREW) aircraft, worth an estimated $1.3 billion. Continue reading →

Raytheon’s Multispectral Targeting System in High Demand

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by Andrew Dardine, Electronic Systems Analyst, Forecast International.

The Multi-Spectral Targeting System is a turreted electro-optical and infrared sensor used in maritime and overland intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. (Raytheon photo illustration created by Grant Parsley)

Variants of Raytheon’s Multispectral Targeting System are expected to be produced in steady numbers over the next several years for the U.S. and its trusted allies. The MTS is a key component of unmanned air vehicles such as the MQ-9 Predator and the Reaper.  The system is also in use aboard U.S. military MH-60 Sierra multimission combat helicopters and AC-130U Spectre gunships. Continue reading →

LEAP Ready to Jump Ahead of CFM56

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by Carter Palmer, Power Systems Specialist, Forecast International.

LEAP-1B Engine. Source: CFM International

The completion of the biennial Paris Air Show marks a time when orders are tallied and success is measured. The battle for orders between Airbus and Boeing is not new; however, with each airframe sold, suppliers also reap the rewards, particularly engine manufacturers. Continue reading →

Hanwha Focuses on Aerospace and Defense Operations

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by Richard Pettibone, Aerospace & Defense Companies Analyst, Forecast International.

K21 Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Source: Hanwha

Over the past few years, Hanwha of South Korea has transformed itself into a major defense firm.  Founded during the Korean War as a gunpowder producer, the company has returned to its defense-related roots with a series of acquisitions. Continue reading →