Harpoon III Anti-Ship Missile Order a Boost for Boeing

Forecast International, NEWTOWN, Conn.: Even with the massive declines in U.S. funding for anti-ship missiles, Boeing remains this market’s top provider. According to Larry Dickerson, Senior Missile Analyst at Forecast International, “Boeing’s current success is based on international orders for its Harpoon II, but a future surge is attributed to U.S. Navy plans to acquire the Harpoon III.” 
 
Forecast International’s “The Market for Anti-Ship Missiles” analysis reports that nearly 13,000 anti-ship missiles worth an estimated $7.9 billion will be built over the next 10 years. Boeing is expected to garner about $1.5 billion in revenues from anti-ship missile sales during that time, followed by MBDA with $789 million in sales. 
 
“China will build the largest number of anti-ship missiles and generate a lot of revenue, but Beijing’s export successes have been minimal,” said Dickerson. “Chinese missiles are appealing to countries with limited budgets or those without access to weapons from Europe, North America or even Russia. North Korea and Iran fall into this latter category.” 
 
Russia will manufacture nearly as many missiles as the United States, but the value produced will be considerably less. “Low prices, even for advanced missiles, do not always translate into large market share,” notes Dickerson. “Russia has been unable to expand its customer base beyond old Soviet clients.” 
 
The anti-ship missile market is in transition. Since the end of the Cold War, anti-ship missiles have slowly evolved and may become something completely new and different in the future. 
 
“In the past, missiles were developed to meet specific needs,” said Dickerson. “Those days may now be gone. With advances in technology, a single weapon can now perform multiple missions, such as anti-shipping and strike, blurring the market for these types of missiles. In a few years, the anti-ship missile market could disappear as an independent entity, becoming submerged in a larger strike weapons market.”  
 
Forecast International, Inc., is a leading provider of Market Intelligence and Analysis in the areas of aerospace, defense, power systems and military electronics. Based in Newtown, Conn., USA, Forecast International specializes in long-range industry forecasts and market assessments.