How Aerospace and defence engineering leaders accelerate time-to-market amid disruption?

Aerospace and defence (A&D) organisations face rising demand, growing backlogs, and delivery delays, while design complexity, supply chain disruptions, and evolving regulations drive costs higher. At the same time, they must replace ageing platforms with next generation systems while sustaining legacy programmes, amid engineering talent shortages.

The A&D engineering and R&D Pulse 2026 provides a practical, benchmark driven view of how leaders are responding — and where execution gaps remain.

Based on insights from 200 senior Aerospace & defence leaders globally, the report explores how organisations are accelerating time-to-market through AI, digital continuity, and global talent models.

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Who this report is for

This report is designed for:

  • Engineering and R&D leaders
  • Manufacturing, operations, and supply chain executives
  • Quality, compliance, and industrial leaders
  • CIOs, CTOs, CDOs, and digital/AI leaders
  • Aerospace & Defence executives and C suite decision makers

If you are responsible for accelerating engineering delivery, scaling innovation, or improving programme resilience, this report is for you.

Why read this report

This is not a vision piece. It is a data driven view of how Aerospace & defence leading organizations are acting today to respond to increasing pressure on engineering performance.

You’ll discover:

• Why time-to-market is now the #1 priority
Time-to-market has become the top industry priority, as rising costs, longer cycles, and competitive pressure from new entrants demand faster execution.

• Balancing speed, innovation, and compliance
A&D leaders must accelerate delivery through digital innovation while maintaining strict safety and regulatory compliance.

• Building a digital aircraft ecosystem
Digital continuity and connected data enable faster simulation, validation, and optimisation, forming the backbone of AI-driven engineering.

• Scaling AI across engineering
AI is driving speed and productivity across engineering, but scaling it end-to-end depends on strong, trusted data foundations.

• Making global talent strategic
Facing talent shortages, organisations are leveraging global models to turn workforce strategy into a driver of innovation, speed, and scale.

• Transforming the engineering lifecycle
Leaders are accelerating product development, reducing production time, strengthening supply chains, and improving maintenance across the lifecycle.

• Key transformation imperatives
Success depends on strong data foundations, scaled AI, strategic talent use, and the ability to combine speed, cost, and agility without compromising quality or compliance.

Read the full report to discover how Aerospace & defence leaders are accelerating time-to-market and transforming engineering at scale

Click to read Aerospace & Defence Pulse