Frost & Sullivan,
Palo Alto CA: Today's defense systems require increasing standards that place demands on performance in a range of missile and munitions technologies. The constant drive from the applications side to ensure an improved, cost-effective performance is achieved through the enhancement of existing systems and the development of new, novel technologies.
Significant research and development work is ongoing in three areas of technology relevant to this sector: materials, propulsion, and guidance systems. This work is focused on both refining existing technologies, on the development of newer systems that may replace older technologies; it is also likely to affect the performance and capabilities of these systems in the future.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants an overview of the latest analysis of the Missiles and Munitions – A Technology Analysis, then send an e-mail to Tolu Babalola – Corporate Communications at [email protected] with the following information: full name, company name, title, telephone number, e-mail address, city, state, and country. The brochure will be e-mailed to you upon receipt of this information.
“While conventional technologies will see refinement and enhancement of existing capabilities, new, innovative technologies will also see development, which will involve overcoming some significant hurdles,” explain Frost & Sullivan Research Analysts Archana Jayarajah and Rahul Nayar.
Missiles must be small, fast, light, and maneuverable, as they are required to operate in a severe loading environment. Thus, advances in composite material technologies for the design and fabrication of next generation missile structures are imperative. Innovative designs, alongside testing and fabrication techniques have been developed to increase performance while significantly reducing the missile size and mass requirements.
Given the high level of technology used, and the demanding nature in these applications, a classic, key challenge faced by this sector lies in the scale of the technological obstacles to overcome. The aerospace and military sectors demand very high levels of performance, which can only increase with time.
“We have noted that the refinement of existing technologies, and to a greater extent, the development of new ones, is often accompanied by significant technological obstacles; this is especially relevant given the complexity of the technologies involved,” states Jayarajah and Nayar.
These challenges are being overcome by the development of new, increasingly advanced technologies — some of it building on an existing technological base, acting to enhance it, exemplified by developments in composite technologies. The other part of this effort involves the development of exotic new technologies, such as scramjets for missile propulsion.
