Market Overview: Special Mission Aircraft

Briefing Series: World Military & Civil Aircraft Briefing Issue Date: October 2023

This overview provides a look at aircraft within the individual segments of the special mission aircraft market. It is also written to provide a quick update on programs that we have not updated recently. There are no numbers in this overview, because market shares and forecast comparisons are irrelevant due to the diffuse types of aircraft involved (and the predominance of retrofit and modification work).

We have divided the Special Mission market into six segments. First is Maritime Patrol/ASW, followed by Air Surveillance, Ground Surveillance/ Command, Tankers, Electronic Warfare, and Bombers. All of these except bombers and combat maritime patrollers are broadly referred to as “Enablers.”