The 2009 Embedded COTS Systems in Military, Aerospace and Defense and Defense Applications consists of four (4) volumes. Each volume contains supply side and demand side data for a specific embedded COTS technology and region.

Follow links for content details by volume:

Volume 1: COTS Boards: North American Analysis
Volume 2: COTS Boards: European Union Analysis
Volume 3: COTS Systems: North American Analysis 
Volume 4: COTS Systems: European Union Analysis 

The coming 3-5 years will present more challenges and opportunities to suppliers of embedded COTS computing and communications platforms than any other time since the first Reagan administration. Traditional leaders will be tested on a number of dimensions. Smaller companies will assertively respond to customer demand for a broader scope of solutions and support. Enterprise IT vendors will be creeping into more rear-echelon programs ­ and some front-line ones as well.

Why all this talk of suppliers pursuing COTS market expansion strategies? A number of reasons, and they begin with the following: Under virtually ANY geopolitical, economic or US administration scenario, the COTS market in military, aerospace and defense will be one of the healthiest embedded market opportunities in the world.

The following might be considered incontrovertible and key drivers of demand:

-Network-centric warfare will be a core, guiding principle at the Pentagon, NATO and other alliance members
-UAV penetration will explode across a number of mission profiles in air, land, surface and underwater applications
-Enhancing situational ­ especially battlefield ­ awareness will be a primary directive for all branches of the military

These will all drive increasing demand for a wide range of technologies and related services, including:
processing platforms, communications platforms, sensing and instrumentation platforms.

And this demand will show up in all three core COTS businesses:

1. Procurement ­ including replenishment for at least 3-5 years
2. RDT&E ­ which VDC expects will see some uplift trailing combat zone draw-downs
3. Integrated Sustainment Maintenance (ISM) ­ a top three DOD priority continues

And so, traditional suppliers of the embedded computing, control and communications platforms that serve as core building blocks for the solutions described above, enabling the strategies cited above, will drive any number of opportunities for agile, well-funded embedded COTS suppliers.

They will also attract the attention of a number of new ­ or newer ­ competitors. In order to win and defend contracts, suppliers will need better market intelligence than ever before. This market intelligence service provides the data, information and decision support tools your teams need.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACQUISITION & PROCUREMENT PROCESSES AND INDUSTRY ECOSYSTEMS 
IDENTIFICATION OF SOURCES OF ACQUISITION AND USE

Acquisition initiators and users
-DoD U.S. Command Centers
Examples include: ESC, CECOM, NAVSEA

Other U.S. functional commands 
Examples include: SOCOM, STRATCOM, 
JFCOM, TRANSCOM and special agencies
DARPA, NSA, and DISA

Other North American & Western European sources
Examples include: UK Ministry of Defence and other Defence departments

C4ISR ­ The overarching framework

COTS PROCESS AND RELATED PARTICIPANTS

VDC COTS model for the acquisition and procurement stages
Industry participants
     ­Primes and sub primes
     ­Program offices
     ­Infrastructure suppliers
     ­Reviewers of critical needs including MITRE, the
      Aerospace Corporation and others
        

TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT COVERAGE                               
MERCHANT COMPUTER BOARDS   
   Platform types and architectures
   ­Traditional passive backplanes
Examples include: VME, CompactPCI, PCI
-Emerging passive backplanes
       Examples include: ATCA, MicroTCA,   VPX/VXS
   ­   Traditional mezzanine cards
       Examples include: PMC
   ­   Emerging mezzanine cards
       Examples include: AMC, XMC
   ­   Other platforms
       Examples include: Embedded
       Motherboards, PC/104
-Functional types
   ­   SBC
   ­   DSP
   ­   Graphics/display video
   ­   Analog/digital I/O
   ­   Networking/switching
   ­   Mass storage control
   ­   Memory
   ­   Others

MERCHANT INTEGRATED COMPUTER SYSTEMS
   Platform types and architectures
   ­   Passive backplanes
       Examples include: VME, CompactPCI,
       ATCA, MicroTCA
   ­   Active backplanes (motherboard-based)
   ­   Other platforms 
   Application environments  
   ­   Avionics  
   ­   Land-based   
   ­   Ship board    
   Major applications

CRITICAL ISSUES
MERCHANT COMPUTER BOARDS                         
Commercial considerations
- Product support policies
- Vendor selection requirements
- Product selection criteria
Technology driven considerations
­   Ruggedization methods
­   Cooling methods
­   Power considerations
-  Reliability
Joint commercial/technology
  ­   Product life cycles                                                             
 ­   EOL policies

MERCHNT INTEGRATED COMPUTER SYSTEMS
Commercial considerations
- Product support policies
- Vendor selection requirements
- Product selection criteria
Technology driven considerations
­   Reliability enhancements
­   Power supply types
­   Peripherals supplied
­   Ruggedization methods
­   Cooling methods
­   Power considerations
Joint commercial/technology
  ­   Product life cycles                                                             
 ­   EOL policies

ALL VOLUMES
Trends in defense policies
Acquisition and Procurement processes
Evolution and trends in the COTS process
Critical Issues

REGIONAL COVERAGE
North America
Western Europe