The UK’s aerospace, defence, security and space industries are at the heart of UK advanced manufacturing and innovative services. Our true value extends beyond our economic footprint, underpinning UK society, families and our way of life.

The 2024 ADS Industry Facts and Figures guide shows the extent to which companies in our sectors serve as the industrial backbone of the UK – delivering the well-paid jobs and high-tech exports we need to secure a prosperous future.

In 2023, the UK aerospace, defence, security and space sectors’ contribution to the UK economy totalled:

As the national trade association for the UK’s aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, ADS works to promote and support their interests both at home and abroad. Spanning the length and breadth of the UK, ADS has more than 1,300+ member companies which includes over 1,000 SMEs.

Employment across our sectors has grown by almost a third in the last ten years. Supporting 427,500 direct jobs across the country, ADS and our members aim to expand this unique workforce capability and national advantage. Our sectors offer opportunities vital to the UK’s future as a high-tech, high-skill, high-wage economy.

The vision for ADS is to advance the UK’s leadership in aerospace, defence, security and space; to enable prosperity and clean, secure growth for our nation.

  • DOMESTIC ADVANTAGE: ADS is focused on the development of a current and future workforce that will help realise our national ambitions.
  • GLOBAL ADVANTAGE: ADS is committed to growing our sectors’ exports and enhancing relationships with the UK’s international partners.
  • FUTURE ADVANTAGE: ADS is working to shape the UK’s regulatory approach to seize future market opportunities in emerging and disruptive technologies.

The UK’s aerospace sector is at the cutting edge of transport innovation.

Our sector is a hub for advanced manufacturing, generating well-paid jobs across the country and driving sustainability and technological innovation forward.

The UK Defence Sector stands at a crossroads in 2024. Recent events have demonstrated the importance of a vibrant defence industrial base to protecting our way of life.

The true value of the defence sector lies in UK safety, security and prosperity.

The UK’s security and resilience sector is growing rapidly providing advanced technologies to protect against a range of malicious and non-malicious threats. Turnover has grown 189% over 10 years and exports 228% during the same period.

The UK’s space sector is a world leader in small satellites and at the forefront of a rapidly expanding global space economy. It demonstrates huge benefits to the UK through a wide range of public, commercial and consumer uses.

View full publication for the ADS Facts & Figures 2024 below:

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