Military Aircraft Digital Glass Cockpit Systems Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The military aircraft digital glass cockpit systems market is anticipated to register a CAGR of more than 3% during the forecast period.

The military aircraft industry has been relatively less impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic than the commercial aircraft industry. However, the pandemic caused supply chain bottlenecks due to lockdowns and caused OEMs to impose production cuts, resulting in a drop in military aircraft deliveries in 2020. Nevertheless, the situation improved in 2022 for several military aircraft manufacturers worldwide as supply chain issues were mitigated.

Due to geopolitical tensions and border issues, global defense expenditures continued to increase in 2021, despite the global economic slowdown. The increasing military spending is propelling the investments of the armed forces towards the procurement of the new generation of military aircraft for strengthening aerial capabilities, thereby driving the growth of the aircraft digital glass cockpit systems market during the forecast period.

Cockpit technology has advanced at a great pace over the past few years. Modern digital glass cockpit systems provide a greater amount of information at the pilot's fingertips compared to analog systems. Due to such advantages, the armed forces are modernizing their existing fleet with glass cockpit systems, which is expected to generate demand for the market in the coming years.

Military Aircraft Digital Glass Cockpit Systems Market Trends

Growing Adoption of Multi-Functional Displays

The adoption of multi-functional displays has been increasing in military aircraft, as they offer several advantages to pilots. Modern military aircraft cockpits feature all-glass, large-format multi-functional displays to improve video and imaging options so that pilots can view multiple video sources ranging from external display processors and video sensors, including FLIR, radar, weapons, and cameras, based on their requirements. Newer-generation military aircraft are incorporating various multi-functional displays to enhance pilot situational awareness. For instance, in July 2021, Russia officially unveiled its new Checkmate fighter, which is expected to take its first flight in 2023, with series production to begin in 2026. The cockpit features one large and several smaller color multi-function displays with a standard heads-up display. Also, India's upcoming 5th generation fighter aircraft, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), will feature a multi-function display (MFD) placed in portrait orientation. On the other hand, many military aircraft avionics modernization and upgrade projects are being undertaken worldwide, which is expected to drive the adoption of next-generation multi-functional displays. India plans to upgrade 200 Sukhoi 30 MKI combat aircraft that have been in service for over 20 years. The Super Sukhoi standard upgrade for Indian aircraft will include locally manufactured radars, a full-glass cockpit, and flight-control computers. Thus the growing adoption of multi-functional displays in military cockpits is expected to drive the market during the forecast period.

North America has Largest Revenue Share

The North American region currently dominates the market and is expected to continue its dominance over the market during the forecast period. It was mainly due to the US Department of Defense's plans for the procurement and modernization of military aircraft. The country has plans to procure several new generation fighters, special mission aircraft, and helicopters, which incorporate advanced digital glass cockpit systems due to the growing focus on enhancing pilot situational awareness. Such investments in the aircraft fleet will propel the growth of this region during the forecast period. For instance, the United States has plans to procure 1,763 F-35As for the Air Force, 353 F-35Bs and 67 F-35Cs for the Marine Corps, and 273 F-35Cs for the Navy. The aircraft features a digital panoramic cockpit touchscreen display that replaces most of the switches and toggles found in an aircraft cockpit.

On the other hand, the country focuses on digital upgrades to the avionics systems onboard other major platforms. For instance, the US Army is focusing on modernizing its fleet of Black Hawk helicopters from a UH-60L to a UH-60V by incorporating a modern, digital cockpit, replacing analog gauges with digital electronic instrument displays. In April 2021, Northrop Grumman announced that the UH-60V Black Hawk, with its digital cockpit suite and OpenLift architecture, was granted an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Airworthiness Release for the helicopter as the program enters a second initial operational test and evaluation phase. Such programs for the modernization of existing cockpits with advanced glass cockpit technologies are expected to drive the growth of the market in the region during the forecast period.

Military Aircraft Digital Glass Cockpit Systems Market Competitor Analysis

Garmin Ltd, Astronautics Corporation of America, Elbit Systems Ltd, L3Harris Technologies Inc., and Honeywell International Inc. are some of the prominent players in the military aircraft digital glass cockpit systems market. The companies are partnering with the armed forces to introduce glass cockpits in aircraft for enhancing pilot situational awareness. The development of such capabilities by the companies is expected to help them increase their share in the market. For instance, in February 2022, Astronautics Corporation of America announced that the company would offer the Badger Pro+ Integrated Flight Display System as a forward-fit and retrofit glass cockpit upgrade solution for the Bell Huey II modernization program. In order to attract new customers, the players are developing sophisticated, rugged, and superior touch-based displays that are AI-enabled. Also, the focus is on open architecture designs and customizable digital glass cockpit systems, which are expected to drive innovation by players. Players are expected to focus on partnerships and joint development of newer digital glass cockpit systems, which may enable faster development times and enhanced market reach for new products during the forecast period.

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