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List of Aerospace and Defense Companies in the UK

Last updated

There are 4,681 aerospace and defense companies in the UK, one in every 1,888 UK companies. Most of them are small: nine in ten have one to four people, and only 148 firms employ 50 people or more. Two in three of all aerospace and defense firms are based in East of England, South East, London, South West and North West. Below you find the largest aerospace and defense firms in the UK, the regions where they cluster, how many started this year and which are the oldest. The full list with addresses, phone numbers and email is in our UK company database or through the Companies House API.

4,681 companies indexed · Data counted on 21 October 2026

Companies4,6811 in1,888 UK companiesRegions12Largest regionEast of England 1,113Sole traders5%Employees1-4 (88%)Revenue< $100K (70%)Email12%Phone25%Website26%
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A live view of all 4,681 aerospace and defense firms, sorted by revenue. Narrow it by region, city, employee size, revenue, legal form or founding year, or search a firm by name.

Bae Systems PLCBae Systems PLC
Showing 25 of 4,689 companies
Company NameCountryCityAddress 1State/ProvincePostal CodeWebsiteFounding YearYearly Revenue in U.S. DollarsEmployees TotalBusiness Legal Type - DescriptionNumber of Companies in GroupCompany Registration Number
1
Bae Systems PLC
Unitedkingdom
Queen'S Park
6 Carlton Gardens
London
SW1Y 5AD
baesystems.*****
1979
$37,476,570,208
102,000
Corporation
418
01470151
2
Rolls-Royce PLC
Unitedkingdom
London
Kings Place
London
N1 9FX
rolls-royce.*****
1884
$28,047,911,646
42,600
Corporation
362
01003142
3
Airbus Operations LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Filton
Pegasus House
South Gloucestershire
BS34 7PA
airbus.*****
1997
$6,599,664,220
8,009
Corporation
482
03468788
4
Panasonic Avionics CORPORATION
Unitedkingdom
Langley
Quadrant House
Slough
SL3 8XP
panasonic.*****
1995
$1,885,818,000
125
Foreign company
2572
FC018534
5
Mbda UK LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Stevenage
Six Hills Way
Hertfordshire
SG1 2DA
mbda-systems.*****
1991
$1,675,875,604
5,588
Corporation
60
03144919
6
Ge Aircraft Engine Services LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Nantgarw
Caerphilly Road
Rhondda Cynon Taff
CF15 7YJ
geaerospace.*****
1940
$1,568,159,000
1,581
Corporation
2531
02605713
7
Gkn Aerospace Services LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Birmingham
11th Floor
Birmingham, West Midlands
B4 6AT
gknaerospace.*****
1759
$899,694,198
3,456
Corporation
156
00355922
8
Short Brothers PLC
Unitedkingdom
Sydenham Intake
2 Airport Road
Belfast
BT3 9DZ
spiritaero.*****
1908
$804,776,000
3,533
Corporation
977
NI001062
9
Airbus Defence And Space LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Holborn-strand-covent Garden
Floor 2, Wellington House
London
WC2R 0AP
airbusdefenceandspace.*****
1989
$779,482,506
2,579
Corporation
482
02449259
10
Safran Landing Systems UK LTD
Unitedkingdom
Longford
Cheltenham Road East
Gloucestershire
GL2 9QH
safran-group.*****
1998
$717,743,801
961
Corporation
423
03548809
11
Safran Actuation Systems UK LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Batmans Hill
Stafford Road
Wolverhampton, West Midlands
WV10 7EH
safran-group.*****
1966
$677,035,996
1,491
Corporation
3
04482320
12
Prestwick Aerosystems LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Filton
Pegasus House
South Gloucestershire
BS34 7PA
spiritaero.*****
2002
$635,784,357
1,231
Corporation
482
05663660
13
Ge Aviation Systems LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Bishopstoke
School Lane
Hampshire
SO53 4YG
geaviation.*****
1980
$625,336,000
2,215
Corporation
2531
00745917
14
Meggitt Aerospace LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Finham
Holbrook Lane
Coventry, West Midlands
CV6 4AA
meggitt-mabs.*****
1997
$602,725,718
1,361
Corporation
1177
03477890
15
Rolls-Royce Leasing LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Derby
Po Box 31
Derby
DE24 8BJ
rolls-royce.*****
1937
$540,725,954
216
Corporation
362
00329435
16
Aerfin LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Saint Modwen Park
Unit 8 Indurent Park
Newport
NP19 4RJ
aerfin.*****
2010
$372,554,000
240
Corporation
43
07371844
17
Agustawestland LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Yeovil
Lysander Road
Somerset
BA20 2YB
agustawestland.*****
1915
$312,131,048
2,876
Corporation
558
00604352
18
Itp Aero UK LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Pleasley Vale
Dorey Way
Nottinghamshire
NG15 6YG
itpaero.*****
1989
$310,427,433
764
Corporation
44
13071140
19
Rheinmetall Bae Systems Land LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Telford
Po Box 106
Telford and Wrekin
TF1 9AY
baesystems.*****
1946
$274,479,774
722
Corporation
325
00414948
20
Safran Seats Gb LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Cwmbran
Kestrel House
Torfaen
NP44 3HQ
companiesintheuk.*****
1933
$263,071,345
1,124
Corporation
423
00278391
21
Bae Systems Gcs International LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Frimley
Victory Point
Surrey
GU16 7EX
baesystems.*****
2019
$257,611,743
253
Corporation
418
11827251
22
Meggitt (UK) LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Segensworth West
Units 2-5 Titchfield Park
Hampshire
PO15 5TT
meggitt-avionics.*****
1959
$252,355,585
583
Corporation
1177
00629814
23
Ontic Engineering & Manufacturing UK LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Bishop'S Cleeve
Cleeve Business Park
Gloucestershire
GL52 8TW
ontic.*****
2008
$251,579,000
659
Corporation
10
06707516
24
Safran Nacelles LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Mereclough
Bancroft Road
Lancashire
BB10 2TQ
safran-nacelles.*****
1989
$234,902,742
696
Corporation
423
02344610
25
Moog Wolverhampton LIMITED
Unitedkingdom
Bilbrook
Unit H
Staffordshire
WV9 5GB
moog.*****
2002
$222,962,485
557
Corporation
138
07008386

Showing 25 of 4,689 companies

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Largest aerospace and defense firms in the UK

The biggest firms by staff and by revenue, the largest in East of England. Click a name for the record.

Rolls-Royce is the largest aerospace and defense firm in the UK by headcount. 148 firms employ 50 people or more; 97 employ 100 or more.

  1. 1Derby10,000 staff
  2. 2South Gloucestershire8,009 staff
  3. 3Belfast3,533 staff
  4. 4Birmingham3,456 staff
  5. 5Glasgow City3,000 staff
  6. 6Somerset2,876 staff
  7. 7Hampshire2,215 staff
  8. 8Wolverhampton1,491 staff
  9. 9Coventry1,361 staff
  10. 10Lancashire1,255 staff

By employee size · 4,560 firms with a known headcount

EmployeesShareFirms%
1-44,034
5-9171
10-19100
20-49107
50-9951
100-19941
200-49925
500-99916
1,000+15

88% have 1 to 4 people; 107 have 20 to 49; 148 have 50 or more.

By yearly revenue (USD)

RevenueShareFirms%
< $100K3,160
$100K-$500K795
$500K-$1M162
$1M-$5M206
$5M-$10M50
$10M-$50M97
$50M-$100M27
$100M-$500M30
$500M+14

70% under $100,000; 206 between $1M and $5M; 218 above $5M.

Firm sizes in the UK

Of the 4,560 UK aerospace and defense firms with a known headcount, 4,034 (88%) have one to four people, 171 have five to nine, 207 have ten to 49 and 148 have 50 or more. Most firms turn over under $100,000 a year (3,160, 70%).

EU size bands · the grey line shows all UK companies

  • Micro under 104,205 92%
  • Small 10 to 49207 5%
  • Medium 50 to 249117 3%
  • Large 250+31 0.7%

Grey line: the share among all UK companies (93% have under ten staff).

218

firms turn over more than $5 million a year; 168 more than $10 million.

434

firms were entered in 2026.

Where in the UK?

East of England has the most aerospace and defense companies in the UK (1,113), ahead of South East (666), London (481), South West (452) and North West (375). Together the five hold two in three of them. Relative to their size, East of England, Northern Ireland and Wales have the most: 1.8 to 2.5 times the national share.

Regions by number of firms

12 UK regions have at least one aerospace and defense firm; 12 have ten or more; 0 have exactly one. Click a region to set the lens.

Only here

Where they cluster

Aerospace and defense firms per 100 companies, in regions with at least 100 of them. The national share is 0.05. East of England has 2.5 times the national share.

  • 2.5×
  • 2.3×
  • 1.8×
  • 1.2×
  • 1.1×
  • 0.9×
  • 0.8×
  • 0.8×
  • 0.7×
  • 0.6×
  • 0.5×

Dashed line: the national share. A filled dot is twice the national share or more.

Aerospace and defense firms in East of England

East of England has 1,113 aerospace and defense companies and aerospace and defense firms, 0.1% of all 825,018 East of England companies and 155% above the national share. Nearly all East of England firms have fewer than five people; 18 have 50 or more. 171 new firms were entered in 2026, 50 date from before 1990.

Size

1-4 staff
1,027 · 94%
5-9
23 · 2%
10-19
14 · 1%
20-49
16 · 1%
50+
18 · 2%

Legal form

Sole traders
37 · 3%
Partnerships
13 · 1%
Ltd and PLC
1,034 · 93%
Other or none
29 · 3%

Share

Of the UK total
23.8%
Of all East of England companies
0.1%
Against the national share
2.5×

New

Entered 2026 so far
171
Entered 2025
247
Of UK's 2026 entries
39.4%

Old

Before 1990
50 · 4%
1990 or later
1,063 · 96%
Of UK's pre-1990 firms
16.2%

Reachable

Email
73 · 7%
Phone
166 · 15%
Website
170 · 15%

Revenue (USD)

Under $100K
896 · 82%
$100K-$500K
124 · 11%
$500K-$1M
16 · 1%
$1M and more
63 · 6%

Largest

  1. 1919
  2. 2534
  3. 3502
  4. 4467
  5. 5368
Free East of England sample

How many aerospace and defense companies are there in the UK?

Aerospace and defense companies and aerospace and defense firms in the UK

4,681

21 October 2026

There are 4,681 aerospace and defense companies and aerospace and defense firms in the UK in our data (21 October 2026). That is one in every 1,888 UK companies. About 2 new firms are entered in the register every working day this year (434 so far in 2026).

Structure

Single-site firms
4,384 94%
Head offices
158
Branch offices
139

Classification

Our platform filter is the national code 30300, 30400, 25400, 33160.

Register

4,075 of the 4,681 are Ltd and PLC (87%); 232 are sole traders. They come from Companies House and our UK register data, through the Companies House API.

How they compare

Next to related industries

There are 72 technology companies for every aerospace and defense firm in the UK.

IndustryFirmsWebsite1-4 staff
Technology Companies337,08524%92%
Engineering Companies114,16241%82%
Security Companies6,58441%84%
Aerospace and Defense Companies4,68126%86%
Airline Companies2,21529%86%
Cybersecurity Companies1,80296%76%
Free sample: aerospace and defense firms in Europe

How reachable are they?

Aerospace and defense firms are harder to reach than the average UK company: 25% list a phone number and 26% a website.
  • Email541 12%
  • Phone1,167 25%
  • Website1,234 26%

Grey line: all UK companies (email 15%, phone 30%, website 30%).

The full list with these fields is in our UK company database.

Sole traders or Ltd: how they are organised

One in twenty UK aerospace and defense firms work as sole traders, against 7% of all UK companies. Nine in ten are Ltd and PLC.
Sole traders: 232, 5% · 21 October 2026Partnerships (partnerships and LLPs): 68, 1% · 21 October 2026Ltd and PLC: 4,075, 87% · 21 October 2026No form on record or other: 306, 7% · 21 October 20264,681companies
  • Sole traders2325%
  • Partnerships (partnerships and LLPs)681%
  • Ltd and PLC4,07587%
  • No form on record or other3067%
Single-site
94%
Head offices
158
Branches
139

All UK companies: 7% sole traders, 3% partnerships, 62% Ltd and PLC.

Newcomers in the UK in 2026

434 aerospace and defense firms were entered in the UK register so far in 2026, about 2 a working day, after 658 in 2025. The UK as a whole saw 534,395 new companies in 2026, so this industry takes <0.1% of the inflow.

Register entries per year

  1. 2332022
  2. 2662023
  3. 4062024
  4. 6582025
  5. 4342026 so far

433 of this year's 434 are Ltd and PLC.

The biggest newcomers of 2026

The year is the register entry; an established firm that changes legal form appears as new.

  1. 1London31 staff
  2. 2Surrey5 staff
  3. 3Oxfordshire4 staff
  4. 4Belfast3 staff
  5. 5Warrington3 staff

The oldest firms in the UK

Our data holds 7 UK aerospace and defense firms from before 1900, 49 from before 1950 and 309 from before 1990.
  1. 1812
    1. London
  2. 1812
    1. Birmingham
  3. 1820
    1. City of Edinburgh
  4. 1826
    1. Essex
  5. 1828
    1. Birmingham
  6. 1830
    1. West Sussex

Older than you

Live tool

Move the slider to a year. Two live counts, scoped to this industry.

309

UK aerospace and defense firms date from before 1990

15

were entered in 1990

Frequently asked questions

How many aerospace and defense companies are there in the UK?

There are 4,681 aerospace and defense companies and aerospace and defense firms in the UK in our data, counted on 21 October 2026. That is one in every 1,888 UK companies.

Which is the largest aerospace and defense firm in the UK?

Rolls-Royce in Derby, with 10,000 staff. By revenue BAE Systems in London leads with $37.5 billion a year.

Which UK region has the most aerospace and defense companies?

East of England, with 1,113, ahead of South East (666), London (481), South West (452) and North West (375).

How many aerospace and defense firms are there in East of England?

1,113, which is 0.1% of all 825,018 East of England companies and 155% above the national share.

How big is a typical aerospace and defense firm?

Small. 88% of the 4,560 firms with a known headcount have one to four people; 148 have 50 or more. Most turn over under $100,000 a year.

Are UK aerospace and defense companies sole traders or companies?

One in twenty (232) are sole traders, 1% are partnerships and 87% (4,075) are Ltd and PLC.

How many aerospace and defense firms started in 2026?

434 were entered in the UK register so far in 2026, after 658 in 2025. 433 of them are Ltd and PLC.

What is the oldest aerospace and defense firm in the UK?

Boss & Co.limited in London, 1812, followed by Westley Richards and Company in Birmingham (1812) and John Dickson & Son in City of Edinburgh (1820). 7 firms date from before 1900.

Which industry code covers aerospace and defense companies?

Our platform filters them on the national code 30300, 30400, 25400 and 33160.

Can I download the full list?

Yes. All 4,681 firms with address, phone, email, legal form, employees, revenue and founding year, as Excel, CSV or through the API.

Discover more: related industries, by region, in other countries

The lists closest to this one. Every industry and city in the UK is on the UK page.

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