Military Aircraft Communication Avionics Market Expected to Reach $35.0 Billion by 2030

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, “Military aircraft communication avionics Market," The military aircraft communication avionics market was valued at $23.9 billion in 2020, and is estimated to reach $35.0 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.05% from 2021 to 2030.

Asia Pacific dominated the military aircraft communication avionics market in terms of growth, followed by North America, Europe, and LAMEA. The U.S. dominated the market share in 2020, whereas Spain is expected to grow at a significant rate in the market during the forecast timeframe.

The military aircraft communication avionics industry holds a great potential backed by an increase in defense budget expenditure across the globe and advancements in communication technologies, supporting military applications. Major countries such as the U.S., China, Russia, and the UK are extensively increasing their military research and development budgets to integrate novel technologies in their existing aircraft fleet and to increase operational efficiency. With maturing web 3.0 and gradual integration of web 4.0, comprehensive, secure, and efficient communication channel has become the need of the hour. The satellite communication (SATCOM) segment is expected to witness maximum growth potential during the forecast period as they provide security beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) communication capacities. For instance, in March 2020, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) launched the Advanced Extremely High-Frequency satellite (AEHF-6) to strengthen its military communication network.

In addition, the rise in geopolitical conflicts and limitations on trade and transport across the globe post-COVID-19 has allowed nations to focus on increasing their indigenous research, development, and manufacturing capabilities. In addition, scarcity of semiconductors across the globe, owing to rise in use of semiconductors on the commercial front is expected to have a notable impact on the military aircraft communication avionics market. For instance, almost 75% of chip manufacturing across the globe is done in the Asia-Pacific, allowing the region to dominate the market. Geopolitical conflict between the U.S. and China to dominate tech segments is threatening the global supply chain, allowing nations to increase focus on indigenous capabilities. Governments and private companies across the U.S. are increasing investments within the semiconductor industry in pursuit to become a global manufacturing hub and gain international dominance. For instance, in January 2022, the government of U.S. along with the CEO of Intel announced an initial investment of $20 billion for developing a semiconductor manufacturing site in Ohio. Apart from the initial investment, the total investment is expected to reach $100 billion, strengthening national chip-building capabilities. These investments are expected to eventually reduce the lack of semiconductors and increase indigenous capabilities, supporting competitiveness within the military aircraft communication avionics market.

By aircraft type, the market is categorized into combat aircraft, special mission aircraft, tanker & transport aircraft, combat helicopters, and training aircraft & helicopters. Depending on the component, the military aircraft communication avionics market is fragmented into Antenna, Transponder, Receiver, Transmitter, and Display & Processors. The sales channel segment will include original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and aftermarket. The solution segment is divided into satellite communication (SATCOM), very high frequency & ultra-high frequency (VHF & UHF), and high frequency & medium frequency (HF & MF).

Factors such as a rise in geopolitical conflicts across the globe, increase in defense budgets, and demand to modernize communication avionics of existing aircraft fleet to support growth of the military aircraft communication avionics market during the forecast period. Countries such as Russia, China, India, and Japan have increased their defense budget by 2.9%, 4.7%, 0.9%, and 7.3%, respectively in 2021, as compared to previous years. Rise in impact of global economies and electronic component supply chain at the global level has been enormous. Degrading global trade relations and restrictions placed by several nations over others have generated demand to diversify the supply chain at the regional level in the military communication avionics industry to ensure a continuous supply of critical components. Shortage in supply of electronics chips also impact the military aircraft communication avionics market. Rise in demand for consumer electronics induced by chips, coupled with trade restrictions due to COVID-19 has generated a global shortage of electronic chips. Hence, to address rise in market challenges, defense bodies are engaged in long-term agreements with companies, mitigating short-term challenges. For instance, Finland entered into an agreement with Lockheed Martin to acquire 64 F-35A Block 4 fighter aircraft along with weapons, communication systems, and required training. The program is expected to last till 2030 and the weapons procurement will be done by 2035, depending upon the availability of funds.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

• By aircraft type, the combat aircraft segment leads the market during the forecast period.
• By component, the antenna segment leads the market during the forecast period.
• By sales channel, the aftermarket segment is expected to grow at lucrative growth rate during the forecast period (2021-2030).
• By solution, the SATCOM segment leads the market during the forecast period.
• Asia-Pacific is anticipated to exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The Key players operating in the military aircraft communication avionics market are Appareo, Aspen Avionics, Avidyne Corporation, BAE System, Boeing, Cobham Limited, Honeywell International Inc., L3Harris Technologies Inc, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, and Thales Group.