NEWTOWN, Conn.---Worldwide demand for self-propelled artillery is fairly high and a robust market will develop over the coming decade, according to a report released by Forecast International. "The Market for Self-Propelled Artillery" finds that the world's weapons makers will churn out more than 5,700 new self-propelled artillery systems worth $19.5 billion over the course of the decade, with competition expected to be intense.
Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann is expected to be the overall market leader in terms of value, with the company's Panzerhaubitze 2000 well on its way to becoming the standard self-propelled artillery system in Europe, similar to the position formerly held by the M109. South Korea's Samsung, which is expected to produce the new K9 in large numbers, and Turkey, where Makina ve Kimya Endustrisi Kurumu is getting under way with the indigenous SP2000 program, are also forecast to do well in terms of market value. That the market is no longer dominated by United Defense's M109 is the best evidence of how the market has dramatically changed within the last decade.
Contributing to the projected market performance over the coming ten years is a still growing portion of the self-propelled artillery industry -- new lightweight systems optimized for rapid deployment by aircraft to any point in the world. Evidence supports a continued growth in this portion of the market.
The United States Army's aspect of this development -- the 155 millimeter self-propelled artillery member of the Interim Armored Vehicle family for the new Medium Combat Brigades -- is garnering the most attention. For its part, France, a long-time leader in the development of rapid deployment forces, already offers the CAESAR light 155 millimeter self-propelled artillery system. More recently, RDM of The Netherlands began marketing the MOBAT 105, a low cost, highly mobile, autonomous weapon system.
The birds let loose in the form of the large production runs over the past three decades are coming home to roost at the start of the 21st century. Indeed, the longevity of thousands of M109, Mark F3 and other systems continues to haunt manufacturers pushing to sell new production systems.
Forecast International's analysis finds that the already strong market for the modernization and retrofit of existing self-propelled artillery systems, especially the M109, is expected to grow stronger over the coming ten years.
Forecast International/DMS is the leading provider of market intelligence and analysis in the areas of aerospace, defense, power systems and military electronics. Based in Newtown, CT, USA, Forecast International specializes in long-range industry forecasts and innovative marketing presentations.
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New Study Forecasts Robust Market for Self-Propelled Artillery
