Fighter aircraft market seen reaching $142.4B by 2030

The global fighter aircraft market is projected to grow from $97.22 billion in 2025 to $104.26 billion in 2026, with long-term demand driven by defense spending, stealth upgrades and next-generation combat systems. Asia-Pacific leads the market now, while Western Europe is expected to grow fastest through 2030.

Why it matters: - Fighter aircraft remain a core defense spending priority as countries modernize air forces and invest in advanced combat capability. - The market’s growth reflects demand for stealth, multirole and autonomous systems that are reshaping aerial warfare. - The forecast points to sustained procurement and upgrade cycles across both emerging and developed nations.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released a fighter aircraft market report on June 11, 2026. - The report projects the market will rise from $97.22 billion in 2025 to $104.26 billion in 2026, a 7.2% CAGR. - The same report expects the market to reach $142.4 billion by 2030, implying an 8.1% CAGR. - The report is available as a full report, and a free sample is also offered.

The details: - Rising global defense budgets, air force modernization, avionics advances and stealth technology breakthroughs are among the main drivers behind recent market growth. - Stronger production of multirole and interceptor fighters is adding to demand. - Domestic and international defense contracts are supporting sales. - Precision-guided weapons systems are now widely adopted on fighter platforms. - Future growth is expected to come from next-generation stealth and hypersonic fighters, AI-supported combat and autonomous flight systems, radar and electronic warfare upgrades, and broader multirole deployment. - The report also flags continued improvements in weapon systems, avionics, sensor suites, airframe durability and maneuverability. - Fighter aircraft are built for air-to-air combat but also support ground attack, reconnaissance and ground forces. - The report highlights Asia-Pacific as the largest regional market in 2025. - Western Europe is projected to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period. - Other regions covered include South East Asia, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Africa.

Between the lines: - The report frames fighter aircraft demand as a proxy for broader defense modernization, not just aircraft replacement. - The emphasis on AI, autonomy and hypersonic capability suggests future competition will center on higher-end platforms rather than legacy fleet expansion alone. - Regional growth patterns indicate procurement pressure is spreading beyond the largest defense markets.

What’s next: - The market is likely to be shaped by continued defense budget growth, especially in countries pursuing fleet refreshes. - Buyers and suppliers will track progress in stealth, sensors, electronic warfare and autonomous systems as differentiators. - The Business Research Company says its 2026 reports now include market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrix graphics, Excel forecasting dashboards, market hotspots infographics and updated trend analysis. - The company says it maintains coverage across 17,500+ reports, 27 industries and 60+ geographies, with support from 1,500,000 datasets and its Global Market Model platform.

The bottom line: - Fighter aircraft spending is set to keep climbing, with next-generation combat technology and defense modernization driving the market’s next growth phase.