WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG. Before we jump to another topic in these articles, it would be appropriate, relevant, and instructive if we conclude this series on the worldwide military markets by looking at NATO in Europe, and the spending by military alliances and security agreements in the Pacific area. The SIPRI report (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) does a nice job of breaking down the regional military markets if you need more details than we cover here. Put this information under demand-side data in your collection.

WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG: Last time, we built the worldwide military market demand-side tree diagram. By now, you should have drawn that diagram and filled-in the roots and branches with the data revealed in the previous articles. This time, we will build the supply-side tree diagram and integrate the two. When we complete this task, don’t try to add-up the supply-side and demand-side numbers and expect them to balance or even come close. The market research reports mentioned count things differently, and they estimate lots of numbers. These people are not certified public accountants.

WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG: The time has arrived for us to pull together the previous eight articles about the worldwide military platform markets, and organize that data in a clear and informative manner. We could spreadsheet all these numbers and produce some scatter plots or bubble charts. But, they seem so cold and dull. So, let’s take a more aesthetic and artistic approach, the "feng shei statistical analysis method” using balance and harmony. That requires a modified tree diagram. Everybody loves a good tree diagram.

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WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG: Let’s take a break from exploring the worldwide markets for military platforms in these essays, and connect some dots between the SR-72, the (Next Generation Air Dominance) fighter plane, and the B-21 Bomber. From the latest news reports, they all seem to be related. Dissecting each of these platforms should give us a better understanding of what’s going on inside the U.S. Air Force.

WARFARE EVOLUTION BLOG. In my previous seven articles, we explored the worldwide markets for most military platforms. However, there are two platforms left to complete our study – satellites and helicopters. I saved these two segments for last since they share some common characteristics. Satellites expend their limited fuel struggling to stay in orbit (station keeping) while helicopters use their fuel thrashing the air furiously with rotor blades to stay aloft. Both fight a constant battle against gravity so that’s why I put them together for this essay. As they say in the aviation community: airplanes want to fly, but satellites and helicopters don’t.

Note: This update is based on the results of the May 2024 VITA Standards Organization (VSO) meeting, held in Frederick, Maryland, and hosted by DRS Technologies. Contact VITA if you are interested in participating in any of these working groups. The full reports can be accessed at www.vita.com/StandardsUpdates. Visit the VITA website (http://www.vita.com) for details on upcoming VITA meetings.