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Airbus wings
Image credit: Airbus

The West of England’s aerospace and advanced engineering sector is worth over £7 billion.

14 of the 15 world-leading aerospace companies are based here. The area is Europe’s aerospace powerhouse, with specialist expertise in areas like composites, robotics, and additive-layer manufacturing.

In addition to the 31,000 aerospace jobs in the West of England, the region is home to four world-class universities attended by over 19,155 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) students.

Scientists at the National Composites Centre Image credit: National Composites Centre

Bristol and Bath are accelerating innovation at a significant rate

The region is home to the National Composites Centre (NCC) which is one of seven world-class centres comprising the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC) research centre.

At the HVMC, businesses of various sizes and sectors can access new technology and specialist engineers to drive innovation for composites.

Engineers at Rolls Royce Image credit: Rolls Royce

Home to the UK’s largest aerospace cluster

Major international businesses operate in the region, such as Airbus, GKN Aerospace, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo Group, and Boeing. Their supply chains lead in aerospace research, development, and design. These businesses feed the manufacture of aircraft, helicopters, military transport, satellites, and communication systems across the country and globally.

  • The region’s aerospace firms are supported by new ‘disruptive technology’ facilities. This includes the University of Bath’s new Institute of Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems, which supports joint research and 300 new engineering jobs.
  • Additional developments include the Airbus Wing Integration Centre, and the National Composites Centre’s announcement of a further £36.7 million investment in its current facility.
  • The West of England Aerospace Forum, a large aerospace and defence association which connects members to major industry and government decision makers, is based in the region.
  • Productivity in the sector has grown by 50% since 2009, at 20 times the UK average.
Vertical Aerospace aircraft Image credit: Vertical Aerospace
Aerospace & Advanced Engineering

Smart aviation

Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and GKN Aerospace are undertaking ground-breaking activities at sites in the region to contribute to their global corporate sustainable aviation and zero emissions goals.

Hydrogen aviation, in particular, is now emerging as an industry priority. This is shown by Airbus’ ZEROe hydrogen-powered concept aircrafts and the £54.4 million H2GEAR hydrogen propulsion project led by GKN Aerospace.

Bristol is also home to one of the UK’s leading Urban Air Mobility companies, Vertical Aerospace.

Rolls-Royce Bristol Innovation Centre Image credit: Rolls Royce
Aerospace & Advanced Engineering

Composites

The West of England has the strongest composites R&D capability in the UK.

Home to the globally renowned National Composites Centre (NCC) and Centre for Modelling & Simulation (CFMS), our region brings together world class composites research and application.

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Inside a space craft Image credit: Thales Alenia Space
Aerospace & Advanced Engineering

Space

The West of England is also home to a growing space sector, with key players such as Thales Alenia Space based in Bristol.

The region has been announced as one of the UK Space Agency’s new ‘Space Hubs’.

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AFP Robot Image credit: GKN
Aerospace & Advanced Engineering

Defence

Businesses in the region are developing innovative defence equipment and services. These companies include BMT Defence Services, Horstman Defence Systems, and Babcock International.

The sector also benefits from the presence of the MOD'S Defence Equipment and Supply site at Abbey Wood, Bristol. The site supports over 30,000 jobs with a £14 billion budget.

Who's here?

Airbus     BAE Systems     Rolls Royce     GKN Aerospace     Collins Aerospace     Thales     MBDA
HiETA Technologies     CFMS - The Centre for Modelling & Simulation     Bristol Robotics Lab
National Composites Centre     Altran