Market Trends of Targeting Pods Industry
Combat Aircraft Segment to Dominate the Market During the Forecast Period
Combat aircraft are vital for protection against aerial threats as they can engage in both aerial warfare and ground-support missions. Global military powerhouses, such as the US, the UK, China, France, and Japan, are vying to achieve a profound reconceptualization of modern aerial warfare techniques by fostering the indigenous development of fifth-generation and the envisioned sixth-generation combat aircraft. As tensions between various global nations have increased, countries have been striving to enhance their aerial combat capabilities.
Several nations have upgraded their existing fighter jets or replaced their aging fleet with newer-generation aircraft with advanced features. With the growth in defense spending by several nations around the world, the industry has witnessed large-scale procurement and development activities for fighter jets in the last few years.
For instance, in February 2022, the French government announced that Indonesia had agreed to buy six Rafale fighter jets produced by the French manufacturer Dassault Aviation. In total, Indonesia will likely order 42 Rafale fighter jets in a USD 8.1 billion deal. In March 2021, the US Air Force took delivery of its first F-15EX Eagle II fighter. The Eagle II program is intended to deliver 144 aircraft to replace aging F-15Cs, most of which are in the Air National Guard. According to the FY2021 defense appropriations bill, the budget bill funded F-15EX procurement at USD 1.23 billion for 12 aircraft. US DoD projects a production schedule that would reach 19 per year in FY2024. The contract for all 144 jets is estimated at USD 22.9 billion.
Similar long-term contracts have been awarded recently, which are scheduled to be completed during the forecast period and are envisioned to drive the market in focus during the forecast period.
North America to Continue its Dominance in the Market
According to the data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US was the largest defense spender in the world, with a defense budget of USD 877 billion in 2022. Earlier, in the FY2022 defense budget, USD 52.4 billion was requested for aircraft and related systems, which includes the budget for the procurement of 115 rotary-wing aircraft, 85 F-35A/B/C fighter jets, 12 F-15EX jets, 73 logistics and support aircraft.
Furthermore, in March 2023, the US government submitted to US Congress a proposed FY 2024 Budget request of USD 842 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD), an increase of USD 26 billion over FY 2023. In addition to the large-scale orders for fighter jets like F-35, C-130J Hercules, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and KC-46 Pegasus Tanker, the orders for military helicopters have also increased. In May 2022, the US Army awarded a contract for its next-generation helicopter to Textron's Bell unit, which will likely replace the Black Hawk utility helicopter.
To retain its aerial dominance, the US defense forces awarded several contracts to equip its aerial combat fleet with sophisticated targeting pods and maintain their operational capabilities as per required mission specifications. For instance, in December 2022, Lockheed Martin received a seven-year, USD 225.8 million contract to help the US Air Force maintain an electro-optical targeting system used by military aircraft as a part of the Sniper Comprehensive Advanced Targeting Pod sustainment program. The Sniper is designed with sensors that work to help airmen detect air-to-air and air-to-surface targets as well as to collect intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data. Similar developments are envisioned to drive market growth in North America.
