Military applications will continue to grow and drive fundamental development of semiconductor technologies such as gallium nitride (GaN) and this was highlighted with product announcements during IMS 2012 reviewed in the Strategy Analytics Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) service report, “Defense Electronics Industry Review: June 2012.” Additionally, the report details significant defense industry news, including product announcements, milestones, contract activity and defense industry financial performance for the month of June.

Strategy Analytics’ breakfast session held in conjunction with Microwave Journal during IMS 2012 included participation from Cree, Nitronex, NXP, RFMD, TriQuint and UMS with the presentations serving as a platform to confirm the applicability of GaN to addressing communications, electronic warfare, and radar applications. The panelist presentations confirmed applicability of GaN to addressing EW, radar and communications applications, by highlighting products with some combination of high power, high efficiency and wide bandwidth performance. During the conference itself, there were also a number of product announcements showcasing GaN capabilities including Toshiba’s new X-band GaN hybrid IC (HIC) targeted at TRMs (transmit-receive modules) used in active electronically scanned array (AESA) and passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar applications.

Eurosatory 2012 in Paris was also in June allowing defense companies to showcase new products and capabilities with a focus on the land and air domains. Elbit Systems Ltd announced the launch of the VWS radar, a new, continuous wave (CW) radar, specifically designed for Active Protection Systems (APS) to provides soft/hard protection for light or heavy armored vehicles. On the EW front, Netline launched a new, extremely small, lightweight, accurate jammers, such as the C-Guard HHJ and the PJP - Portable Jammer Pack – based on new exciter technology as well as using RF capabilities provided by semiconductor technologies such as GaN.

In communications systems, ITT Exelis upgraded its hand-held SpearNet radio with enhancements that further extend its capabilities with an emphasis on providing cellular-like mobility coupled with increased bandwidth throughputs to enable voice, video and data communications. Harris introduced the Falcon III RF-7800H wideband manpack, reportedly the world's smallest, lightest and fastest wideband HF radio as well as the next generation of the combat-proven Falcon III® RF-7800W High-Capacity Line-of-Sight radio. The company has also introduced a handheld variant – the RF-7800M – designed to connect dismounted warfighters to emerging wideband tactical networks.

Other system level activity during June also included systems that employ semiconductor technologies. Boeing and Raytheon received contracts related to AN/APG-79 AESA radar upgrades, while Northrop Grumman demonstrated the capabilities of the company's AN/AAQ-37 distributed aperture system (DAS) and AN/APG-81 AESA radar, both featured on the F-35.

All of these developments will continue to drive demand for RF technologies such as GaN. As these technologies mature, the boundaries around performance and applicability are also crystallising and over the course of IMS 2012 and more recently at Farnborough, it is clear that GaN is no longer seen as a TWT (traveling wave tube) killer by either side. Where there is a need for high power at high frequency without compromising efficiency, then TWT technologies from companies such as e2v Technologies, TMD Technologies, L-3 Communications Electron Technologies will continue to play a key role in defense systems. Indeed, there is potential for these technologies to complement each other especially in the growing trend towards MPMs which utilise mini-TWTs typically in conjunction with a solid-state driver amplifier. As with commercial markets, the military sector will find that these respective technologies as well as other technologies (both existing and emerging) are best utilised in complementary fashion rather than trying to hone in on one flavour of technology alone as the panacea for all future system and platform design.

Clients of the ADS service can read the full report here.

Also, don’t miss this month’s column in the Microwave Journal’s Military Microwaves.

See Defence iQ for more analysis on the defense industry, related news and events.

Asif

There's a common misconception in the public sector that U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' plan to cut military spending by $553 billion in 2012 is a decrease in the Pentagon budget. Instead, the U.S. Department of Defense will actually see an increase albeit of less than 1 percent. This is however the smallest increase the Pentagon has received over the last 15 years and the plan calls for smaller increases to its rate of growth in 2013 and 2014 and then no growth whatsoever in 2015 and 2016.

However, while there is a focus on eliminating wasteful, excessive and unneeded spending to make every defense dollar count, there is also a recognition that the mistakes of the past should not be repeated by making drastic and ill-conceived cuts to the overall defense budget. In this respect, the continued advances being made by China and Russia will be of particular concern. The recent introduction of the JF-20 appears to show that the Chinese have made more progress in building their first stealth fighter jet than previously thought. Coupled with potential threats posed by Chinese missiles and other hardware, the proposed defence budget maintains a priority on technology designed to counter "anti-access" weapons.

The most high profile cuts include terminating the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle and placing the Marine Corps' short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the JSF on the equivalent of a two-year probation because of significant testing problems. As a result, the development of the Marine variant will be moved to the back of the overall JSF production sequence.

However, to fill the gap created from the slip in the JSF production schedule, the Department of the Navy will buy more Navy F/A-18s. The proposed Pentagon budget for 2012 also calls for funding for a new long-range nuclear bomber, electronic jamming devices for the Navy, improvements to radar for F-15 fighters, a satellite launch vehicle and an unmanned naval "strike-and-surveillance aircraft".

Despite continued investment, new military contract bids will now have to include some form of operational cost-cutting benefit to the Pentagon as opposed to the traditional focus on expounding the performance capabilities of a given system. It will translate into continued development of radar, EW, communications and other advanced defense capabilities which will maintain demand for semiconductor technologies such as GaAs, GaN and SiGe.

Strategy Analytics predicts that the overall defense semiconductor market will maintain a growth trajectory over 2010 - 2015 with CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of just 6.1% versus previously projected 6.6% growth over 2009 ? 2014.

For more on this topic, see the Strategy Analytics report, US DOD Budget Cuts will Place Emphasis on Advanced Electronics Capabilities