
Interesting Facts About the Aerospace and Defense Industry
Did you know that the Aerospace and Defense industry employs nearly two million Americans? Learn more interesting facts about the A&D sector.
The A&D sector does much more than simply provide the military with cool gadgets. Read on to learn three interesting facts about the Aerospace and Defense industry.
Impressive Industry Numbers
Compared to other sectors, the Aerospace and Defense industry boasts some of the most impressive numbers, both globally and domestically. Most notably, this robust industry employs nearly two million Americans and generates over $700bn of revenue annually. Furthermore, the average wage of $104,577 (plus benefits) is over 40% higher than national averages. A&D industry workers made upwards of $200bn in compensation in 2020! And despite ongoing global conflicts and the pandemic, this sector rebounded spectacularly in 2021, posting 4% revenue growth.
Common Manufacturing Practices
It’s reasonable to assume that the average Aerospace and Defense manufacturing factory boasts some of the most advanced technologies and practices in the world. While this is certainly true, certain manufacturing processes used on A&D products are quite simple and common to other sectors. For example, industrial powder coatings are an essential resource used during A&D manufacturing to boost the reliability of various metal objects. Additionally, many engineering skills used to program these advanced devices are used in standard engineering fields. As such, it’s not an unreasonable dream to one day be a part of this wildly exciting industry!
Final Frontier Contributions
The most common products and contributions manufactured by the A&D industry include aircraft, watercraft, military supplies and weaponry, and related defense technology. However, this sector also plays a significant role in humanity’s future interstellar travel plans. Various A&D businesses are currently developing technology capable of carrying human life to other planets. In fact, Lockheed Martin is famous for working with NASA on every Mars mission since the first (The Viking Lander), as well as continuing the efforts of eventually colonizing our closest planetary neighbor with the Journey to Mars project.
These interesting facts about the Aerospace and Defense industry highlight this sector’s importance to the world. Aside from providing humanity with groundbreaking tools and technologies, it employs millions of individuals globally and is at the forefront of space exploration.