Although the aerospace software market growth in most countries dipped in 2020 due to COVID-19 effects, we forecast it to recover to pre-pandemic levels or higher in 2022. We forecast overall growth to continue with a CAGR of about 13% from 2021 to 2025.
Research for Cambashi’s ‘Insights’, combined with data from our software and employment ‘Observatories’, shows that the aerospace manufacturing industry has stood up well through the COVID-19 pandemic and is already returning to pre-pandemic levels or better. This is partly due to the defense sector, which has been relatively unaffected, and partly because of the space industry which is a thriving sub-set. Both areas have advanced products with complex supply chains that require sophisticated design/engineering/manufacturing software.
China is of interest since, while it has one of the largest aerospace manufacturing industries, it is one of the smaller software consumers. Combined with the fact that China is second only to the US in employment numbers in this sector, this suggests opportunities for software and services – though caution is required. Software vendors will need in-country presence, established reference customers, and sound software control to leverage this opportunity and succeed in these markets.