Procurement: No Recession For Jet Fighters

Archives

December 25, 2009: While the global recession of the last two years has cut into sales of commercial aircraft, sales of U.S. military aircraft increased this year, by 8 percent, to $62 billion. U.S. commercial aircraft sales amounted to $152 billion. American manufacturers also sold 11 percent more missiles ($14.8 billion).

While the U.S. is facing growing competition in commercial aircraft manufacturing, America is still the largest manufacturer and exporter of military aircraft. And that is not under any immediate threat. F-16s (both new and refurbished) and their replacement (the F-35) appear ready to dominate the market for the next decade.

The one radical new element are UAVs, especially the larger ones, and the prospect of jet propelled UAVs cutting into manned military aircraft sales. In the last six years, sales of UAVs have increased more than six times. Just as sales are currently fed by the need to replace aging Cold War era fleets, the introduction of cheaper and more capable UAVs, could touch off another wave of purchases a decade from now.

 

 


Article Archive

Procurement: Current 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 


X

ad
0
20

Help Keep Us Soaring

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month.

Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage. A contribution is not a donation that you can deduct at tax time, but a form of crowdfunding. We store none of your information when you contribute..
Subscribe   Contribute   Close