Reasons to be cheerful about the UK aerospace sector

Imagine an industry that has defied the worst economic downturn in living memory and continued to grow; an industry that designs and manufactures the most advanced pieces of some of the world’s most-talked-about feats of engineering; an industry with a bright present and a plan for the future; and an industry that’s internationally recognised as being one of the best in the world. While this might sound to some like a frustrating blueprint for everything the UK has lost, its buoyant aerospace sector ticks all of these boxes and many more.

In this feature we’ve detailed some of the UK aerospace sector’s many success stories: from its rapidly growing expertise in the space industry, to its established position as one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of everything you need to make an aircraft.

Although the UK no longer builds complete passenger aircraft it retains the skills and capabilities to design and manufacture almost all of the key components: from fuel systems and landing gear, through to wings, fuselages, flight control surfaces, nacelles and jet engines.