In its new study "The Market for Aircraft Carriers and Amphibious Warfare Ships," Forecast International projects that a total of 98 ships (among the leading programs surveyed in this overview) will be produced from 2019 through 2028. The value of this production is $65.4 billion.
"The market for aircraft carriers and amphibious warfare ships is expanding steadily, outweighing any other in the maritime sector, and is of profound worldwide importance," said Forecast International senior warships analyst Stuart Slade.
Of the total number of ships forecast for production, eight are aircraft carriers, comprising two each for Britain and the United States, one for India, and three for China. These eight ships represent 8.16 percent of the unit total for this sector but have an aggregate value of $31.4 billion, 48 percent of the sector total. A recent decline in the proportion of funding devoted to aircraft carriers reflects a marked slowing of the Indian program. The amphibious warfare component includes amphibious warfare ships and craft, a segment that includes large amphibious transports of varying types down to air-cushion landing craft.
This market overview covers aircraft carriers ranging from large warships carrying a mixed, multipurpose air group exhibiting the highest performance characteristics to amphibious assault ships that primarily carry transport helicopters, with a limited number of VSTOL aircraft tasked with a restricted number of missions.
"The linkage of these two sectors within a single market overview may seem idiosyncratic, but there are solid operational and technical reasons behind doing so," said Slade. "Operationally, the distinction between an aircraft carrier and a large amphibious assault ship is indistinct."
Even the big U.S. Navy CVNs, the largest and most powerful warships in the world (not to mention by far the most expensive), have at times embarked helicopters and Marines to carry out amphibious operations. The amphibious warfare ships have, when the situation demands, served as small aircraft carriers. The technical link is that the design and to a large extent the size of these ships are determined by the demands of the aircraft they carry.
About Forecast International
Forecast International, Inc. is a leading provider of Market Intelligence and Consulting in the areas of aerospace, defense, power systems and military electronics. Based in Newtown, Conn., USA, the company specializes in long-range industry forecasts and market assessments used by strategic planners, marketing professionals, military organizations, and governments worldwide. Forecast International also maintains a high posture of situational awareness and geopolitical analysis.
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