New York: The United States has been forced to pay greater attention to electronic warfare programmes due to high number of casualties sustained in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), a new study says.
The study by Frost and Sullivan, global growth consulting company, estimates US electronic warfare market's current revenue at $1.25 billion, which is forecast to rise to $1.31 billion by 2013.
"US military operational and technological domination has resulted in adversaries using asymmetrical methods to counter US strength," notes Frost and Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst Brad Curran.
"The US is sometimes slow to counter these unconventional threats that exploit gaps in technology, techniques, and procedures. Potential large nation-state adversaries have also begun to research ways to exploit the seams in US conventional power," he says.
The Army's Electronic Warfare Technology programme funds systems to enhance EW offensive operations and lethality, as well as protect ground forces against IEDs. Airborne EW planning remains hampered by the DoD and Air Force not committing to funding or building a follow-on stand-off jamming capability to replace the Navy Growler programme in 2014, the study says.
A serious airborne EW capability gap by 2010 caused by fewer US assets and weapon advancements made by potential adversaries continues to raise concerns, it stresses. Overall, a lack of decisive DoD leadership and a coordinated joint-service plan hinder the industry from anticipating the technological needs of the armed forces to make the appropriate engineering and manufacturing resource investments, it adds.
