Press Release
Contact: Dean Lockwood, Weapons Systems Analyst
Phone: (203) 426-0800
Fax: (203) 426-1964
Web site: www.forecast1.com
E-mail: dean.lockwood@forecast1.com
Forecast International, Inc.
22 Commerce Rd. Newtown, CT 06470 USA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
International Light Tracked Vehicle Market Robust;
“Family of Vehicles” Concept Takes Hold
NEWTOWN, Conn. [Sept. 19, 2005] ― The international market for light tracked
vehicles remains robust, with Forecast International's Weapons Group projecting
production of more than 14,800 light tracked vehicles – worth nearly $19.7
billion – over the coming 10-year forecast period.
In a purely technical sense, the light tracked vehicle
market has evolved into two distinct market segments: armored personnel carriers
(APCs) and mechanized infantry combat vehicles (MICVs). However, as Forecast
International Military Vehicles Analyst Dean Lockwood notes, the most
significant trend in the light tracked vehicle market involves the developing
“family of vehicles” concept, in which a modular common chassis design serves
as the basis for a variety of combat vehicles. The various players in the
international market are adapting to an evolving market environment,
precipitated by the end of the Cold War and the emergence of new threat
scenarios and military doctrines. Operation Iraqi Freedom clearly demonstrates
the benefits of an operational synergy between light tracked vehicles and light
wheeled vehicles on the modern asymmetrical battlefield.
On the international market, an ongoing product glut and the
influx of new players have combined to shift control of the market away from
the traditional U.S. and European players. However, these traditional players
continue to dominate the rather exclusive high end of the market, while the new
players have effectively taken over the significantly larger lower end of the
market. For most nations, the expense associated with the modernization and
retrofit of high-end light tracked vehicles pales in comparison with the
prospect of new procurement.
“New production of high-end vehicles – such as the 2T
Stalker, the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), the Igel/Puma, and Japan’s
Type 89 – will account for only about 10 percent of all production through the
forecast period,” Lockwood said. “Yet, these programs will provide about 46
percent of the total value of the light tracked vehicle market.”
In terms of sheer numbers, the Type 90 APC and the Type 90
MICV of the People’s Republic of China represent the most significant
new-production light tracked vehicles during the forecast period. According to
Lockwood, “As the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) standardizes its mechanized
forces around the Type 90 APC and MICV, we believe combined production of
these two vehicles will account for over 47 percent of all new light
tracked vehicle production worldwide through 2014.”
Despite the uncertainties of a post-Cold War world and the
glut of available vehicles, the international light tracked vehicle market
remains a vibrant, dynamic environment. Although threat scenarios and force
structures continue to evolve, the light tracked vehicle soldiers on as the
basis of modern mechanized infantry warfare.
Forecast International, Inc., is a 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 market
assessments utilized by strategic planners, marketing professionals, military
organizations, and governments worldwide. To arrange an interview with
Forecast International’s analysts, please contact Monty Nebinger (203-426-0800,
monty.nebinger@forecast1.com).
