C4I cash flow slowing.

Forecast International has prepared an overview of the current and future Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence programmes for the coming ten-year period (2006 to 2015). The draught reports that a gradual decline in the worldwide C4I market can be expected to occur in a few years as many of the programmes that were recently accelerated to fight terrorism and support the ongoing combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq draw to a close. The forecast also states that the world C4I market will be worth more than $ 88.344 billion over the course of the reporting period but the downward spiral, expected to occur in 2009, will continue through 2015. The report also mentions that the top five defence companies in the C4I market, namely Raytheon, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Thales Raytheon Systems (respectively) will continue to maintain their top tier positions as the continual acquisition of smaller competitors has severely narrowed the playing field.