Around 630 military transport aircraft valued at $38.1 billion are expected to be built throughout the world over the next nine years.
The prediction was made at Dubai 2000 by Teal Group analysts in their latest military transport forecast.
The new forecast notes that international demand for military aircraft continues to be disappointing, and it says there is an "embarrassingly" high ratio of talk to action.
It goes on to say that when long-range, high-capacity lift is needed, it is borrowed from the US Air Force, further highlighting NATO country reliance on the US for strategic requirements.
"Due to the European neglect of transport requirements, the two US prime contractors (Boeing and Lockheed Martin) almost monopolise the world transport market and will continue to do so," says Teal's Richard Aboulafia.
"The Boeing C-17 and Lockheed Martin C-130 military transports will have 93% of the market in terms of dollar value through our forecast period."
The forecast says the answer to European mobility requirements is acquisition of off-the-shelf aircraft, which have already had their non-recurring costs covered and can be purchased in small, incremental numbers.
Source: Flight Daily News
