IMARC Group expects the global anti drone market to grow from USD 2,454.5 Million in 2025 to USD 15,620.6 Million by 2034, a compound annual growth rate of 22.83%. That is more than a sixfold increase in nine years, and it captures how quickly threat perceptions, budgets and technology priorities can move in aerospace and defense. 

The same sector also contains markets that move slowly and predictably. IMARC Group puts growth in global military aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) at 2.39% a year over the same forecast window. When one corner of a portfolio is growing almost ten times faster than another, decisions about capacity, partnerships, exports or acquisitions cannot rest on general industry commentary. They need specialist data that understands programme cycles, government buyers, regional budgets and supply chain depth. 

This article ranks six market research firms that help aerospace and defense businesses make those calls. The ranking is IMARC Group's own editorial assessment. We explain how we judged the firms first, then profile each one, set out why IMARC Group comes first, and finish with a short checklist for choosing a partner. 

How We Chose and Ranked the Six 

We looked for firms with genuine depth in aerospace and defense rather than generalists with a handful of titles. Five things carried the most weight: how much of the sector a firm covers, from platforms and subsystems to MRO, materials and space; how well it handles regional and country differences; whether its published work states scope, base year, forecast period and research method; whether a buyer can move from published data into custom analysis; and how easily companies of different sizes can access and use the output. Every description below is drawn from each firm's own published materials as reviewed in November 2026. This is not a survey, a paid placement or an audit, and every firm on the list is a credible choice when its specialism matches the question being asked. 

IMARC Group 

IMARC Group's aerospace and defense practice spans commercial aviation, space, defense and government services, according to its category page, and its library of aerospace and defence market research reports runs from platforms and systems to services and materials. Its air defense systems report values that global market at USD 51.4 Billion in 2025, forecast to reach USD 73.7 Billion by 2034 at a CAGR of 4.08%, with Asia Pacific currently the dominant region. Its military aviation MRO study sizes the global market at USD 48.5 Billion in 2025, rising to USD 60.4 Billion by 2034, with North America leading. Further down the supply chain, the global aerospace materials market stood at USD 27.1 Billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 38.2 Billion by 2034 at a CAGR of 3.78%. 

Country studies add a second layer. IMARC Group values the Japan aerospace and defense market at USD 57.5 Billion in 2025, expected to reach USD 84.5 Billion by 2034 at a CAGR of 4.37%, and the Saudi Arabia defense market at USD 24,034.8 Million in 2025, projected to reach USD 33,077.1 Million by 2034. Recent reports also describe their method: the drones study cites structured interviews and surveys with more than 180 industry participants in 2024 and 2025, including manufacturers, defense procurement officers and regulators across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Beyond its catalogue of more than 15,000 off-the-shelf reports, IMARC Group offers customization to a client's own definitions and data, plus consulting services such as Market Entry and Opportunity Assessment, Competitive Intelligence and Benchmarking, and Market Feasibility Studies. 

Why it made the list: It combines wide segment coverage, global and country forecasts with stated base years and periods, and a direct route from a published report into custom research, all within one provider that reports a client base of more than 3,000 organisations across Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Africa. 

Ideal for: Suppliers, investors and new entrants that need sized, segmented markets across several aerospace and defense niches and regions, and may later want a market entry, feasibility or competitor study built on the same data. 

MarketsandMarkets 

MarketsandMarkets describes itself as a competitive intelligence and market research platform serving more than 10,000 clients worldwide with quantified B2B research. Its Aerospace and Defence report catalogue is broad and frequently refreshed, with recent global forecasts covering LEO satellites and space propulsion, military drones and counter-UAS systems, electronic warfare, precision guided munitions, armored vehicles, aircraft cabin interiors and urban air mobility. Where a published report does not match a buyer's exact requirement, the firm offers custom market research. 

Why it made the list: Its granular, segment-level forecasts reach into fast-moving defense and space technologies, giving product and strategy teams a quantified view of emerging niches. 

Ideal for: Technology suppliers and product managers sizing specific emerging segments, such as drone detection, LEO satellite subsystems or electronic warfare, across global regions. 

Forecast International 

Forecast International states that it has provided aerospace, defense and power systems market intelligence for more than 50 years. Its FI Global Intelligence platform offers up to 15 years of forward production and procurement forecasts, supported by 10 years of historical data, across eight categories that include aviation, space, naval and weapons systems, defense technologies, international military markets and the U.S. defense budget. The firm says it operates independently and does not produce sponsored forecasts. 

Why it made the list: It is built around unit and value production forecasting at programme level, which is exactly what capacity and supply chain planners need. 

Ideal for: OEMs and tier one and tier two suppliers planning production, materials and labour requirements against long-range platform build rates. 

GlobalData 

GlobalData's Aerospace, Defense & Security offering describes more than 290 proprietary datasets, a tenders database covering 167 countries, country reports for the 70 largest defence budgets and fleet data for 70 countries. It packages these into global and country data packs that cover sector orders, forecasts, budgeted spend and current inventories, and lists prime contractors, OEMs, SMEs, governments and militaries among its users. 

Why it made the list: Its tender tracking and country budget coverage give sales teams a practical view of where contracts are likely to appear. 

Ideal for: Business development and export teams pursuing international defense tenders and comparing country spending outlooks. 

Teal Group 

Teal Group, based in Fairfax, Virginia, publishes monthly-updated briefing services on aerospace and defense programmes. Its World Military & Civil Aircraft Briefing tracks more than 150 aircraft programmes and markets, with 10-year production forecasts for all programmes and 10-year funding forecasts for U.S. programmes, and its World Missiles Briefing covers more than 200 programmes. It also publishes annual sector studies such as its World Military Unmanned Aerial Systems Market Profile & Forecast, and offers custom research. 

Why it made the list: Its programme-by-programme analysis of aircraft, missiles, UAVs and space systems is long established and comes with access to the analysts behind the forecasts. 

Ideal for: Analysts and strategists who need detailed programme histories, market shares and production outlooks for specific aircraft, missile or UAV segments. 

FAQs About Aerospace and Defense Market Research 

Which firm is best for aerospace and defense market research? 

It depends on the decision. In our assessment IMARC Group is the strongest all-round choice for market sizing and custom work, while MarketsandMarkets, Forecast International, GlobalData, Teal Group and Frost & Sullivan are leading options for emerging technology segment forecasts, production forecasts, tenders, programme analysis and growth strategy respectively. 

How is defense market intelligence different from a market research report? 

Intelligence platforms usually track equipment, programmes, inventories or tenders in detail. A market research report sizes and forecasts a defined market by segment and region. Many companies use both. 

Why do aerospace and defense forecasts differ between providers? 

Providers define markets differently, count units or value, choose different base years and make different assumptions about budgets and programme timing. Compare definitions before comparing numbers. 

Do these firms cover regions outside North America and Europe? 

Yes. The firms profiled publish global coverage, and several, including IMARC Group, offer country-level studies for markets in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. 

When should a company commission custom aerospace and defense research? 

When the decision turns on a specific programme, customer, country or competitor that published data does not isolate, such as entering a new export market or sizing demand for a niche component.