LONDON: Spurred by EDA (European Defence Agency) and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) requirements, Europe’s armed forces continue to upgrade and expand their defense systems. Because C2 systems are vital troop components that require regular procurement and consistent upgrades, the highly competitive air intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) command and control (C2) market will continue to grow, both in Europe and globally.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, European Air ISR Command and Control (C2) Market Assessment, finds that the market earned 79 units in 2008 and estimates this to reach 88 units in 2017. The countries covered in this research are Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Austria, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece.
“Partnerships and joint ventures are the key trends in this market because they facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas and encourage the development of unique and novel products,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Harish Balasubramanian. “In turn, the growing demand for reciprocal operability among EU an NATO members characterises all defence-related markets.”
However, this demand for better interoperability in the wake of increasingly frequent multinational operations hinders the establishment of specified standards. To achieve network-centric capabilities, countries would have to ensure the interoperability, if not the uniformity, of the products procured. This, coupled with shrinking budgetary allocations for R&D, poses a major challenge. Shrinking budgets across Europe are buckling under the high costs of defence R&D, especially since all the money invested does not always reap dividends.
“Investing in R&D for new technology and products would be of great value to industry participants as the objective of end users is to surpass their adversaries in all defence-related products and services,” concludes Balasubramanian. “Collaborating on these R&D activities would result in information sharing amongst industry participants and yield a better product for end-users while paving the way for enhanced business opportunities.”
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