Scotland attracts investment from leading global companies looking for the ideal destination for business investment and a premier location for research and development.

We’re here to help companies like yours invest in Scotland. We can provide the ideal location if your company is looking for a receptive business environment with a strong focus on research and development.

Key Industries Explorer

"" Aerospace, defence and marine

Aerospace, defence and marine

Scotland has a long history of excellence in aerospace, defence and marine and today accounts for ten percent of the UK industry. Over 800 aerospace, defence and marine companies are based in Scotland and the industry employs nearly 40,000 staff.

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Some Key Facts

34

companies in Scotland have been identified as having aerospace R&D capability

54

university departments in Scotland with aerospace R&D capabilities

10%

Complete avionic systems represent about 10 percent of civil aircraft material costs

50

Almost 50 companies are presently active in the composite materials supply chain in Scotland, across a variety of sectors

25%

Defence accounts for 25 per cent of the aerospace, defence and marine sector in Scotland

Largest in the UK

Scotland plays host to the largest defence electronics manufacturing site in the UK

£1.8 billion

Scotland's annual defence turnover

12,600

Scotland is home to nearly 12,600 defence employees

R&D

The aerospace and defence sector is second only to pharmaceuticals in the percent of sales it invests in R&D

Invention

Scotland’s aerospace achievements include the fuel system that led to the jet age and the new radar for the Eurofighter Typhoon

11%

MRO accounts for 11 percent of all airline industry costs

MRO support

All of Scotland’s major international airports have the capacity to accommodate MRO

Star gazing

NASA occasionally use a ground observatory in Dundee to track spacecraft during their missions

World leaders

Scotland has world-leading expertise in space battery technology, miniaturisation of spacecraft systems and space borne instruments

Space-Wire leaders

Scotland has a long association with the data communications language Space-Wire, with the International Space Wire standard being developed in Scotland

Space world-wide

Scottish companies and research groups are significant contributors to major word-wide space projects

UK economy generation

The wider UK space sector supports 68,000 jobs and generates around £6 billion a year to the British economy

40,000

Almost 40,000 staff are directly employed by the aerospace industry in Scotland

5%

The technical textiles market is growing at five percent per annum and is showing significant progress

Major investment

The UK National Aerospace Technology Strategy supports major investment in unmanned aerial vehicles

840+

More than 840 companies are involved in the aerospace defence and marine sector

£5 billion

Sales of over £5 billion are generated by Scottish-based companies in this sector

Global players

Vector and Teledyne, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Thales, SELEX Galileo, Babcock Marine and Raytheon Systems all have a significant Scottish presence

33%

Over one third of all UK shipbuilding takes place in Scotland

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