BOSTON -- As environmental legislation drives future electronics component design and manufacturing trends, it will become increasingly important for the defense industry to assess the total cost benefits of COTS-sourced components, an analyst said today.

Strategy Analytics predicts commercial-off-the-shelf electronics penetration will increase through 2015 as defense contractors look to cut costs and time-to-market.

Use of COTS electronics instead of defense-industry specific solutions is said to lower costs, speed development cycles, and provide access to improved semiconductor processes and technologies. However, defense programs and associated systems endure for decades, which keeps them from the rapid development cycles seen in the commercial sector. This time frame has necessitated the development of long-term strategies to countermand associated technology concerns with availability and obsolescence, the firm says.

“As the mainstream industry races to greener practices as mandated by governmental regulations, the defense industry will need to factor environmental regulations into their long-term sourcing strategies,” said Asif Anwar, director of ADS services. “In some cases, this will require a reassessment of the “total cost benefits” of a COTS component.”