Phased array technology featured heavily in radar contracts and other activities during September. Platforms ranged from large ground-based early warning radar (EWR) systems to scaled-down AESAs for incorporation into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology dominated a host of radar contract announcements during September including news of Northrop Grumman completing tests of its Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) S-band radar system as well as demonstrating technologies for the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar (3DELRR) program. Raytheon was also actively involved in the supply of AESA-based systems, receiving a second contract for low-rate initial production (LRIP) of AN/APG-82(V)1 AESA radar systems for the U.S. Air Force F-15E Radar Modernization Program.

In other areas, Harris, L-3 Communications and Selex Elsag were supplying communications systems, Boeing received further contracts for Laser JDAM kits and ITT Exelis announced another successful demonstration of its Advanced Defensive Electronic Warfare System (AIDEWS). The use of laser technology was also being demonstrated. MBDA Germany achieved a power of 40 kW using its high-energy laser demonstrator during a laser firing campaign while ITT Exelis is partnering with Innovative Technical Solutions to develop a laser communications system for the US Navy and Marine Corps.

Business news for the month was dominated by the discussions between Europe's largest defense corporations, BAE Systems and EADS. The deal has been shelved primarily as a result of the respective UK, France and German governments not being able to agree on terms. BAE Systems-EADS Merger Dead in the Water provides some more thoughts on this news.

Clients of the ADS service can read the full report Defense Electronics Industry Review: September 2012 which details significant defense industry news, including product announcements, milestones, contract activity and defense industry financial performance.

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Recent defense industry developments center around future platforms with the US Navy looking ahead to the 2030s for a new fighter that could be unmanned. Other areas of focus included next generation systems underpinned by new technologies. The Strategy Analytics Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) service report, “Defense Electronics Industry Review: May 2012,” reviews significant defense industry news, including product announcements, milestones, contract activity and defense industry financial performance.

Even though the JSF has yet to make its operational debut, the US Navy is already looking ahead, issuing a Request for Information (RfI) for a new fighter, which could be manned or unmanned, to replace the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler in the 2030s. In the short term, unmanned platforms remain in focus also with Northrop Grumman announcing a deal for NATO's Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system which includes five Block 40 Global Hawk UAS. Elbit Systems was also active in Europe with a contract that will see the company supply UAS platforms over the next two years. Also in Europe, BAE Systems has begun testing technology to enable conventional aircraft to fly safely without pilots, including weather-avoidance and emergency landing systems.

New technologies will underpin these new platforms and the capabilities that they bring. For example, the Block 40 UAS platforms for the AGS program will utilize the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) ground surveillance radar sensor which uses active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology based using compound semiconductors like gallium arsenide (GaAs).  In other radar related news, Selex Galileo will begin delivering a new version of its Raven ES-05 AESA radar for integration with Saab's two-seat demonstrator for the next-generation Gripen E/F. Progress is also being made on the Euroradar Captor-E AESA for Eurofighter Typhoon where Cassidian is acting as design authority.

Other examples of semiconductor technologies underpinning the next generation of systems include the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) electronic warfare program, which is providing opportunities for companies such as ITT Exelis. It will utilize AESA technology based around gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors. Cassidian is also using GaN technology for the electronic components that will be used for the German Armed Forces' new software-defined radio communications system (KommSysBw).

On the research front, TriQuint has been selected by DARPA to lead a development program focused on ultra-fast GaN switch technology for the Microscale Power Conversion (MPC) program. TriQuint is teamed with Rockwell Collins, the University of Colorado at Boulder and Northrop Grumman to create a new generation of RF power amplifiers that use contour modulation for very high efficiency performance that exceeds the capabilities of devices currently available.

GaN continues to play a large part in future defense systems and is also gaining traction in the commercial world. Strategy Analytics explored this technology in detail last week during IMS 2012 in Montreal, Canada. Our special panel session, “Where are the emerging RF market opportunities for GaN?” attracted over 130 participants and provided a great overview of where this technology is going. Thanks to Microwave Journal for working with Strategy Analytics to set up the event and a special thank you to Cree, Nitronex, NXP, RFMD, TriQuint and UMS and Nitronex for presenting such great insightful content.

Finally, laser weapons appeared to be once again in vogue. Northrop Grumman test fired the first product in its next-generation FIRESTRIKE™ family of high-energy, solid-state lasers demonstrating that the laser could burn through the skin and critical components of a target drone. Meanwhile, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is looking to develop a solid-state laser weapon prototype for multi-mission capabilities aboard a ship.

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.

Finally, I’ll be attending IQPC’s Military Satellites 2012 conference this week including a site visit to the headquarters of Surrey Satellite Technology to learn about micro and nano-satellite development from a leader in the global satellite market.

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

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The Libyan crisis saw use of the RAF Nimrod aircraft triggering the inevitable questioning of UK defense spending logic and the resultant decisions undertaken as part of a UK Government Strategic Defence and Security Review. Other platforms affected by the last round of cuts include the Tornado fast-jet platform and Royal Navy frigates. Whether or not this will lead to a review of the situation remains to be seen though official statements issued on Friday (April 8th, 2011) suggest that this is unlikely.

The US Government was another great example of how bureaucracy can hinder ran than help industry. The recent inability of the US government to set a FY2011 budget six months into said fiscal year had industry closely monitoring every political twitch and spasm from Washington as the threat of a government shutdown loomed. Fortunately, the powers-that-be managed to come to a decision literally at the eleventh hour which will allow programs and contracts to revert to some degree of normalcy.

Unfortunately, according to the US GAO (Government Accountability Office) the industry cannot claim to be an innocent bystander in a situation that now has defense budgets stretched to the limit. An audit of Pentagon spending found $70 billion in wastage with the GAO particularly unimpressed with the F-35 which accounted for $28 billion. The report indicated that the Pentagon also had to spend $9 billion more on R&D to fix problems with satellites and other systems that had already entered production and that the Pentagon?s largest programs had risen by $135 billion, or 9%, to $1.68 trillion since 2008. There was also another $70 billion of increases "to be indicative of production problems and inefficiencies or flawed initial cost estimates."

Despite the blundering, uncertainties and inefficiencies, defense sector contract orders have again showed few signs of let up in the past month. Merger & Acquisition activity in the sector has also been sustained with eight defense-oriented mergers, acquisitions and partnerships in the past four weeks. Further analysis of the defense industry including business news, contracts and new product launches during the month of March can be found in the Strategy Analytics report, Defense Electronics Industry Review: March 2011

Despite the uncertain start to the year as defense budgets were squeezed and /or finalized, Strategy Analytics expects the second quarter of the year to continue apace with the preceding one as the emphasis for electronics is maintained through the continued advancement of next generation radar, EW, communications and EO-IR technologies. Examples include the continued expansion in UAV use with export markets being opened up and their application expanding to maritime surveillance (see Maritime Surveillance Expanding Electronic Systems Opportunity from UAVs) as well as upgrading more traditional platforms as exemplified by Raytheon delivering its 250th APG-79 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to Boeing for use on F/A-18E/F and EA-18G aircraft. Opportunities yet to be realized include the conclusion of the Indian M-MRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) competition with the current set of bids due to expire on April 30, 2011.

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

Dr David Allstot from the University of Washington kick-started the 2010 IEEE Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium with a review of the challenges and ongoing research into CMOS power amplifiers for use in the cellular radio front-end. Highlighting the energy consumption and CO₂ emissions from cellular handset usage, Dr Allstot emphasized the need for more efficient PAs as continued motivation for development of CMOS PA technologies.  Research into CMOS PAs has been ongoing for around 20 years, with current designs achieveing around 1W power outputs and up to 60% PAE. The performance of typical power amplifier PAs including Class A, B and E were highlighted, and then put into context with the demands of current networks which place greater importance on PAs operating backed off from peak power with schemes such as 64QAM resulting in probability distributions that translate into actual efficiencies of only 5%.  Dr Allstot provided examples of digital PAs comprising multiple PA cells and power combining techniques that have been put forward to address these issues, and highlighted the potential for Class G power PAs that feature a hump-shaped curve with the first peak aligning with probability distribution curves of a 64QAM spectral signal and offering the potential for efficiencies as high as 24%.  While these results are promising, Strategy Analytics still sees a gap in performance capabilities between GaAs and CMOS PAs which is compounded by cellular handset requirements continuing to evolve. This translates into a moving target that places greater emphasis on linearity, efficiencies and peak-to-average ratios (PAR) and in our opinion will continue to favour the capabilities offered by compound semiconductor technologies.  Nevertheless, the pervasive nature of RF technology will open up doors for CMOS and SiGe PAs, while also continuing to provide growth the compound semiconductor technologies, and this was highlighted by the second plenary talk, given by Gregory Waters of Skyworks Solutions Inc.  Mr Waters provided an overview of how the growth in the cellular handset market has transformed the RF industry into a mainstream technology with future trends pointing to greater pervasive use of RF in multiple applications. Smartphones are leading the initial trends towards more complexity in the radio chain which translates into greater content and provides continued growth for the industry.  Video is the primary driver for the RF market moving forwards with social media driving demands for always-on connectivity. This in turn will translate into more RF content going into terminals to meet these needs. Skyworks estimated that average RF content has increased by around 2.5 to 4x the content required when delivering voice-only capabilities.  The different approaches in the cellular front-end to handle these growing needs were highlighted, from multiple PAs through broadband PAs able to tackle high-band and low-band RF chains, to solutions that will cover all bands through a converged solution. This will be coupled with techniques such as envelope tracking and digital predistortion to provide more linear, more efficient RF solutions.  The other key message from Skyworks was that RF technology will become even more pervasive in its application moving forwards, with embedded RF translating to multiple applications, examples including smart metering for utilities, vending machines and passive RF technology for tracking applications.  To serve market needs moving forwards, RF companies will need to continue developing a broad base of technologies that incorporate not only the RF, but also interconnects and packaging   Strategy Analytics sees this pervasiveness as a catalyst that will open doors for Si technologies while the growing complexity needed to serve the always-on connectivity will present continued opportunities for compound semiconductor technologies.

Join Strategy Analytics for breakfast in Rome, Italy on September 30th during European Microwave Week. To register for the breakfast, go to http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=eumw We'll be presenting key findings from the Strategy Analytics Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) and GaAs and Compound Semiconductor Technologies (GaAs) services at an invitational breakfast meeting during European Microwave Week, 2009 in Rome, Italy (28th September to 2nd October). The focus will be on defense market demand for GaAs (gallium arsenide) and GaN (gallium nitride) semiconductors. This invitational complimentary session will provide attendees with an overview on a range of topics including: •    GaAs and GaN market status and future trends •    Defense market demand trends •    A case study - analyzing component demand from defense platforms You can register for the breakfast at http://tinyurl.com/saEuMW. Hope to see you there!  Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/sentwistle1419

Join Strategy Analytics for breakfast in Rome, Italy on September 30th during European Microwave Week. To register for the breakfast, go to http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=eumw We'll be presenting key findings from the Strategy Analytics Advanced Defense Systems (ADS) and GaAs and Compound Semiconductor Technologies (GaAs) services at an invitational breakfast meeting during European Microwave Week, 2009 in Rome, Italy (28th September to 2nd October). The focus will be on defense market demand for GaAs (gallium arsenide) and GaN (gallium nitride) semiconductors. This invitational complimentary session will provide attendees with an overview on a range of topics including: •    GaAs and GaN market status and future trends •    Defense market demand trends •    A case study - analyzing component demand from defense platforms You can register for the breakfast at http://tinyurl.com/saEuMW. Hope to see you there!  Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/sentwistle1419