2026 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast Now Available from Aviation Week Network

The value of military aircraft projected to be delivered over the next decade is expected to exceed $1.1 trillion, generating $1.6 trillion in MRO demand

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, November 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Aviation Week Network’s new 2026 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast, a ten-year outlook of the defense industry, highlights a robust global market for military aircraft, fueled by increased strategic tensions worldwide.

The global fleet of military aircraft in service is expected to increase from 56,490 at the end of 2026 to 61,214 by 2035, growing at a 0.9% CAGR over the decade. This global fleet of military aircraft is expected to generate $1.6 trillion dollars in MRO demand over the next ten years, growing at a1.9% CAGR. Lockheed Martin (including Sikorsky) is projected to be the largest manufacturer in terms of the value of deliveries at $222.3 billion, ahead of second place Boeing, who is set to complete $143.8 billion in deliveries over the decade.

“As global strategic instability intensifies and political dynamics shift within the NATO alliance, the military aircraft market continues to boom with over $1.1 trillion set to be spent on new aircraft over the next decade,” said Craig Caffrey, Head of Defense Data, Aviation Week Network. “Fleet growth is increasingly being driven by uncrewed platforms, and notably by the widespread introduction of collaborative combat aircraft. While the number of piloted aircraft is set to remain roughly the same size over the forecast the number of uncrewed aircraft is due to expand by 95% to around 5,000.”

The 2026 Military Fleet & MRO Forecast findings detail market demands and industry trends accounting for the impact of economic and macro trends on global fleets and MRO. By combining current fleet counts and statistics, projected aircraft fleet changes, in-house flight data-derived utilization projections, and segmented MRO cost analytics, the forecast delivers critical strategic insights for the defense market sector.

The 2026 Commercial, Business Aviation and Helicopter Fleet & MRO Forecasts have been released, extending these analytical capabilities to encompass the broader aviation industry.

For more information on Aviation Week Network’s 2026 Fleet & MRO Forecasts or to subscribe, contact Anne McMahon at +1 646 469 1564, anne.mcmahon@aviationweek.com or go to https://aviationweek.com/fleetforecast.

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Elizabeth Sisk
Aviation Week Network
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