Aerospace

Flight Simulator Market

By Segment, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 – 2025

Vertical: AnDBase Year: 201810 Sections

Executive Summary

Flight Simulator Market — Snapshot

  • Market Size (2019)

    2019

    $5.69B

  • Projected (2025)

    2025

    $7.79B

  • CAGR (2019–2025)

    5.4%

    5.4%
  • Key Players

    108+

A flight simulator is an equipment which creates an artificial flight environment. It is primarily used for training pilots in operating manned and unmanned aerial vehicles. The simulator offers a cost-effective alternative to live training. Technological advancements have made flight simulators highly accurate in comparison to flying an actual aircraft, thereby making flight training a realistic experience. End users including military, airline companies, and flight training institutes procure flight simulators as these are cost-effective and a safe solution used for training pilots. The global flight simulator market has been segmented into four regions, namely North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America is estimated to account for the largest share of the global market during the review period. In this report, the flight simulator market in North America includes the US and Canada.

Market Attractiveness Analysis

Global Flight Simulator Market, By Platform

Global Flight Simulator Market, By Aircraft Type

Global Flight Simulator Market, By Simulation Type

Global Flight Simulator Market, By Region

Key Insight

The Flight Simulator Market market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% from 2019 to 2025.

Market Performance Trend

Historical performance and future projections (2020–2030, USD Billion)

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Market Scope & Coverage

What this report covers

  • Geographic Coverage: This analysis covers 5 regions: Asia Pacific, South America, Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa.
  • Market Segmentation: The market is analyzed across 2 segments: Commercial Aerospace, Military Aerospace. Forecasts are provided for each segment from 2019 to 2025.
  • Competitive Landscape: 108 leading companies are profiled, covering market positioning, strategies, and recent developments.

Market Size (USD Mn)

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Market Overview

Flight Simulator Market — Growth Trajectory

A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight for pilot training. The simulator replicates the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of flight controls, and how the aircraft reacts to external factors such as air density, turbulence, wind shear, and precipitation. High demand for pilots across the globe is expected to surge the need for flight simulators during the forecast period.

Flight Simulator Market — Growth Trajectory

Commercial Aerospace
Military Aerospace

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Market Size Trend (USD Mn)

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Market Dimensions

How this market is segmented

  • Platform Platform is broken down into: Commercial Aerospace, Military Aerospace.
  • Aircraft Type Aircraft Type is broken down into: Fixed-Wing Aircraft, Rotary-Wing Aircraft, UAV.
  • Simulation Type Simulation Type is broken down into: Live Simulation, Virtual Simulation.

Geographic Analysis

Regional market breakdown

  • Asia Pacific Asia Pacific market size reached $1.13B in 2019 and is projected to reach $1.82B by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 8.2%.
  • South America South America market size reached $540.80M in 2019 and is projected to reach $633.70M by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 2.7%.
  • Europe Europe market size reached $1.24B in 2019 and is projected to reach $1.68B by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 5.2%.
  • North America North America market size reached $1.88B in 2019 and is projected to reach $2.35B by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 3.8%.
  • Middle East and Africa Middle East and Africa market size reached $900.90M in 2019 and is projected to reach $1.32B by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6.5%.

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Research Methodology

Flight Simulator Market — How We Researched This Market

Research Process

Market Research Future analysis is based on interviews with industry experts who offer insight into the market structure, market segmentation, technology assessment, competitive landscape (CL), market penetration, as well as the emerging trends. Besides primary interviews (~80%) and secondary research (~20%), their analysis is based on years of professional expertise in their respective industries. Our analysts also predict where the market will be headed in the next five to 10 years, by analyzing historical trends and the current market position. Furthermore, the varying trends in segments and categories in each region are studied and estimated based on primary and secondary research.

Primary Research

Extensive primary research was conducted to gain a deeper insight into the market and industry performance. For this particular report, we have conducted primary surveys (interviews) with the key level executives (VPs, CEOs, marketing directors, and business development managers, among others) of the major players active in the market. In addition to analyzing the current and historical trends, our analysts predict where the market is headed in the next five years.

Secondary Research

Secondary research was mainly used to collect and identify information useful for an extensive, technical, market-oriented, and commercial study of the pharmaceutical analytical testing outsourcing market. It was also used to obtain key information about major players, market classification, and segmentation according to industry trends, geographical markets, and developments related to the market and technology. For this study, analysts have gathered information from various credible sources such as annual reports, SEC filings, journals, white papers, corporate presentations, company websites, international organizations of chemicals manufacturers, and paid databases.

Market Size Estimation

Both the top-down and bottom-up approaches were used to estimate and validate the size of the market and to estimate the size of various other dependent sub-markets of the overall global flight simulator market. The key players in the market were identified through secondary research, and their market contributions in different applications across the globe were determined through primary and secondary research. This entire process included the study of the annual and financial reports of the top market players and extensive interviews for key insights with industry leaders such as CEOs, VPs, directors, and marketing executives. All percentage shares, splits, and breakdowns were determined using secondary sources and verified through primary sources. All the possible parameters that affect the market covered in this research study have been accounted for, viewed in extensive detail, verified through primary research, and analyzed to arrive at the final quantitative and qualitative data. This data has been consolidated, and detailed inputs and analysis from Market Research Future added before being presented in this report. The following figure shows an illustrative representation of the overall market size estimation process employed for the purpose of this study.

  • Base Year

    2018

  • Historical Period

    2019 – 2018

  • Forecast Period

    2018 – 2025

  • Primary Interviews

    150+

Research Process

Historical data (2019–2018) and forecast period (2018–2025)

1

Problem Definition

  • Market scoping
  • Objective setting
  • Framework design
2

Secondary Research

  • Literature review
  • Data mining
  • Trend analysis
3

Primary Research

  • Expert interviews
  • Field visits
  • Surveys
4

Data Analysis

  • Quantitative modeling
  • Statistical testing
  • Validation
5

Insights & Reporting

  • Synthesis
  • Recommendations
  • Visualization

Research Depth

Our research process spans primary interviews with industry stakeholders combined with comprehensive secondary data analysis, validated through triangulation across multiple independent sources.

Historical vs. Forecast Data

Historical (observed)
Forecast (modelled)

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Competitive Landscape & Porter's Five Forces

Flight Simulator Market — Competitive Analysis

Threat Of New Entrants

The global flight simulator market is expected to grow at a considerable rate during the forecast period. However, the capital-intensive nature of the market and the need for advanced technology can deter new players to a certain extent. Moreover, well-established players such as Lockheed Martin Corporation, CAE Inc., and L3 Technologies, Inc. with a wide geographic reach operate in this market. This makes it difficult for new entrants to achieve economies of scale, which the leading players already possess. Therefore, new entrants present a low threat to the major stakeholders operating in the market.

Bargaining Power Of Suppliers

In this market, the suppliers include the providers of components such as hydraulic systems, mapping systems, and control and analysis software. The components are subject to stringent regulatory review and need to be certified by regulatory authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for respective aircraft and aviation applications. Although supplier concentration in the market is high, due to these factors, there are a limited number of key suppliers in the market. Moreover, switching costs are moderate, resulting in overall low bargaining power of suppliers in the market.

Bargaining Power Of Buyers

The buyer concentration in the global flight simulator market is high, and the buyers include airline companies, airport authorities, aircraft OEMs, and military. They are highly reliant on successful and established aircraft simulator manufacturers as they provide high-end applications and reliable equipment and services, which increase the switching costs. Hence, the bargaining power of buyers in the global flight simulator market is projected to be moderate.

Threat Of Substitutes

Presently, there are no substitutes for aircraft simulators. Thus, the threat of substitutes in the market is expected to be low by 2020. However, the development of virtual reality (VR) simulators are expected to pose as a substitute for traditional simulators. VR-based simulators are projected to be extensively used in the market after 2020, which, in turn, is expected to increase the threat of substitutes during the forecast period.

Intensity Of Rivalry

There is intense competition among the existing players in the market, with manufacturers investing heavily in the research and development of high-quality and advanced aircraft simulators. Moreover, the growing need for pilots in the aviation industry is expected to surge the demand for flight simulators as training on actual aircraft requires various clearances and incurs high fuel costs. Thus, simulator companies are focused on developing efficient simulator solutions for different types of aircraft. Therefore, the threat of rivalry is expected to be high.

Quantitative Analysis

Regional Breakdown

Regional market breakdown for Flight Simulator Market.

Regional Market Size (USD Mn)

Market estimates by geography (2025)

USD Mn

InsightNorth America leads with $2.35B by 2025, while Asia Pacific is projected to grow fastest at a 8.2% CAGR.

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Regional Market Data

REGION201920182025CAGRSHARE
Asia Pacific$1.13B$1.38B$1.82B8.2%23%
South America$540.80M$570.40M$633.70M2.7%8%
Europe$1.24B$1.39B$1.68B5.2%22%
North America$1.88B$2.01B$2.35B3.8%30%
Middle East and Africa$900.90M$1.05B$1.32B6.5%17%
Total$5.69B$6.39B$7.79B5.4%100%

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Segment Revenue (2025)

Commercial Aerospace
Military Aerospace
01677335350306706

Segment Market Share

  • Commercial Aerospace78%
  • Military Aerospace22%

Total Market Size

$7.79B

Market by Segment (2025)

APPLICATIONREVENUE ($B)GROWTH RATEMARKET PENETRATION
Commercial Aerospace$6.10B5.4%
85%
Military Aerospace$1.70B5.4%
77%

* Revenue projections based on 2025 estimates. Growth rates represent CAGR 2024–2030. Market penetration indicates current adoption rate within addressable market segments.

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Analytics

Flight Simulator Market — Key Findings

Analytical insights on Flight Simulator Market covering market dynamics, competitive landscape, and strategic outlook.

Key Analytical Findings

The Flight Simulator Market market is projected to reach $7.79B by 2025, growing at 5.4% CAGR. The Commercial Aerospace segment holds the largest share.

Market Drivers

Shortage of pilots has severely affected the airline industry in the last few years, as an effect of which airlines have faced multiple flight cancellations and have grounded aircraft. Additionally, apart from passenger airlines, the logistics industry has incurred losses due to pilot shortage. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US is expected to require around 87 new pilots daily for the next 20 years to meet the growing demand for air travel. To combat pilot shortage, airlines have established in-house training centers and partnered with airline certified training centers to get qualified pilots.

Market Opportunities

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are the next generation of airborne platforms deployed by defense organizations around the world. The demand for UAVs is fueled by their successful deployment during combat missions, especially in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. UAVs are used as force multipliers, target recognition devices, damage assessment devices, and for electronic warfare. Presently, UAVs are increasingly being employed for electronic attack (EA), destruction of enemy air defense (DEAD), suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD), communication transfer, combat search and rescue (CSAR), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. Defense authorities around the world are investing in these systems to reduce their troop casualties. Moreover, due to technological advancements in avionics and sensor technology, UAVs are becoming more efficient and affordable.

Extensive use of UAVs directly impacts the demand for drone operators in combat and other operations. Concurrently, drone simulators are preferred for training drone pilots. This allows drone pilots to practice on computers without the risk and expense of damaging the UAVs. Therefore, countries, such as the US, Israel, and India, are exploring the use of UAVs. Increase in the deployment of UAVs and subsequent focus on drone simulators for training purposes are expected to drive the flight simulator market.

Market Restraints

The global flight simulator market is growing at a rapid rate due to the growing demand for pilots in the aviation industry. Furthermore, the acceptance of virtual pilot training to ensure aviation safety is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the market. However, the growth of the market can be hindered by factors such as lack of interoperability.

Strategic Outlook and Future Directions

Near-term growth will likely concentrate in modular bioreactor lines and closed-system media workflows that shorten validation cycles while preserving batch traceability.

Partnerships between CDMOs and instrumentation vendors should accelerate standard datasets for comparability across sites, improving forecasting models used in capacity planning.

Longer horizon, organoid and microphysiological adoption may reshape segment mix; teams that invest early in assay interoperability and cloud QC hooks are better positioned to capture upside without fragmenting their analytics stack.

Market Value by Segment (2025)

Value (USD Mn)
Commercial Aerospace
Military Aerospace

Companies

Key companies profiled in Flight Simulator Market

Profiles of 108 companies operating in the Flight Simulator Market market, including revenue, employee count, and market positioning where available.

Showing 108 of 108 companies

FlightSafe

FlightSafety International

Aerospace

Company Headquarters: New York, US Founded: 1951 Workforce: ~5,000 Company Working: FlightSafety International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Ltd. The company delivers professional aviation training services to individuals and businesses, which include several commercial aviation companies. Moreover, it provides safety equipment and protective workwear, headsets, paddle wands, and safety products designed specifically for the airport and aviation industries. FlightSafety International offers a range of protective clothing to airport departments for cleaning, de-icing, and personal safety equipment such as engineering, ground support, logistics/cargo, refueling, and security/border enforcement. The company designs, integrates, and manufactures advanced and high-quality flight simulation products. These products are lightweight and have highly robust modular designs and are used for military and commercial purposes.

RevenueN/A
Employees5,000
Market CapN/A
Founded1950
New York, US
FRASCA Int

FRASCA International Inc.

Aerospace

Company Headquarters: Urbana, Illinois, US Founded: 1958 Workforce: ~200 Company Working: FRASCA International Inc. is a global leader in manufacturing flight training equipment for airlines, flight training centers, and military organizations worldwide. The company offers both standardized and custom-built cockpit procedure trainers (CPTs), advanced aviation training devices (AATDs), flight training devices (FTDs), visual systems, components, and full flight simulators (FFSs). It offers its products to the universities, aircraft manufacturers, training academies, military forces, training centers, health emergency medical services (HEMS), airlines, and law enforcement. As of 2018, it has delivered more than 2,600 simulators to over 70 countries around the world.

RevenueN/A
Employees200
Market CapN/A
Founded1957
Urbana, Illinois, US
TRU Simula

TRU Simulation + Training Inc.

Aerospace

Company Headquarters: Goose Creek, South Carolina, US Founded: 2014 Workforce: ~1,000 Company Working: TRU Simulation + Training Inc. is a manufacturer of flight simulators and training solutions for civil and military markets. The company operates as a subsidiary of Textron Inc., which designs and develops aircraft, helicopters, golf cars, off-road utility vehicles, spare parts, and other products worldwide. Textron operates through five business segments—bell helicopter, Textron aviation, Textron systems, industrial, and finance. Through its industrial business segment, the company offers catalytic reduction systems, plastic bottles and containers, golf cars, off-road utility and light transportation vehicles, recreational and all-terrain vehicles. Through its Textron aviation segment, it offers business jets, turboprop and piston engine aircraft, and military trainer and defense aircraft. The Textron Systems segment covers unmanned systems, marine and land systems, electronic systems, advanced information solutions, geospatial solutions, weapon and sensor systems, piston engines, simulation, training, and other defense and aviation mission support products and services. Textron has 63 manufacturing facilities located in the US and 52 plants outside the US. It has approximately 35 subsidiaries, which include companies such as Lycoming Engines, AAI Corporation, Aerosonde Ltd, and HR Textron Inc. In the helicopter simulator market, the company faces competition by the regional company CAE Incorporated.

Revenue$15.3B
Employees1,000
Market CapN/A
Founded2013
Goose Creek, South Carolina, US
CAE Inc.

CAE Inc.

Aerospace

Company Headquarters: Montréal, Québec, Canada Founded: 1947 Workforce: ~8000 Company Working: CAE Inc. is a global leader in the delivery of training and training devices to the defense & security, civil aviation, and healthcare industries. The company is involved in the design and integration of its most comprehensive training solutions for the defense & security applications. It has a global presence with 160 sites and training locations across 35 countries. The company has joint venture operations with aviation training service providers such as Description Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Leonardo S.p.a., and InterGlobe Enterprises Pvt Ltd with the world's largest base of flight simulators. It trains more than 120,000 civil and defense crew members, as well as thousands of healthcare professionals on an annual basis. The company specializes in providing simulation and training; flight simulators and healthcare simulators; various services to manage and optimize mining operations and training centers; software designing; and software engineering.

Revenue$2.5B
Employees8,000
Market CapN/A
Founded1946
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Boeing

Boeing

Aerospace

Company Headquarters: US Founded: 1916 Workforce: ~ 156,000 Company Working: Boeing Company's Défense, Space & Security (BDS) is a business unit that specializes in the production, maintenance, and improvement of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, commercial and government satellites, human spaceflight programs, and weapons. BDS is a renowned global leader in the defence and space industry, with core competencies in the development, production, and mission-critical upgrades of comprehensive solutions. Its primary markets include aeronautics, space, and weapons. BDS is committed to delivering innovative, digitally advanced, and highly efficient solutions to its customers. Its expertise lies in the production and integration of complex systems that provide integrated solutions to meet the diverse needs of its customers. BDS is a highly skilled and experienced contractor that delivers advanced solutions in the fields of defence, space, and security, with an emphasis on quality, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Revenue$58.2B
Employees156,000
Market CapN/A
Founded1915
US
Thales Gro

Thales Group

Aerospace

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Revenue$18.5B
EmployeesN/A
Market CapN/A
FoundedN/A
United States, North America
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About the Author

Aerospace Research Team

Aerospace

Wantstats' aerospace and defense team wrote this report from primary sources — program budgets, contractor data, and direct conversations with people close to these projects. Every figure has been checked against proprietary datasets and reviewed internally before release.

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I have been reading the first document or the study, the Global HVAC and FP market report 2021 till 2026. Must say, good info! I have not gone in depth at all parts, but got a good indication of the data inside!
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R&D Director, Seojin

Thanks for your great support. Appreciate it. Well received report. It helps us to understand market well. We're planning other area of survey in the future, let's keep in touch.
Akif Moroglu

Strategy & Business Development Director, Dogan Holding

We got the report in time, we really thank you for your support in this process. I also thank to all of your team as they did a great job.
Noah Malgeri
Noah Malgeri

Co-Founder, Mojave Rail Fabrication Limited

This is really good guys. Excellent work on a tight deadline. I will continue to use you going forward and recommend you to others. Nice job.
Michael Robert

Manager, JavolVision

Thanks, I am so happy that we worked together. Maybe we still can work together in the future.
Joseph Aguayo
Joseph Aguayo

Sales Operations & Pricing Manager, Intel

Thanks. It's been a pleasure working with you, please use me as reference with any other Intel employees.
Bong Lau

Sales Leader, Bamberg

We bought your "2025 report" in 2020. Everything is fine and very good.
Peter Groot Koerkamp
Peter Groot Koerkamp

Account and Business Manager, EFS-Holland BV

Thanks for sending the report it gives us a good global view of the Betaïne market.
Younghwan Choi
Younghwan Choi

Senior Retail Manager, LG Chem

We found the report very insightful! we found your research firm very helpful. I'm sending this email to secure our future business.
Mark Irwin

Management Consultant, Level 21

I am very pleased with how market segments have been defined in a relevant way for my purposes (such as "Portable Freezers & refrigerators" and "last-mile"). In general the report is well structured. Thanks very much for your efforts.
Rob Kooiker

Group Product Manager HVAC & Fire Protection GMA, Rockwool

I have been reading the first document or the study, the Global HVAC and FP market report 2021 till 2026. Must say, good info! I have not gone in depth at all parts, but got a good indication of the data inside!
Jason Lee

R&D Director, Seojin

Thanks for your great support. Appreciate it. Well received report. It helps us to understand market well. We're planning other area of survey in the future, let's keep in touch.
Akif Moroglu

Strategy & Business Development Director, Dogan Holding

We got the report in time, we really thank you for your support in this process. I also thank to all of your team as they did a great job.

Flight Simulator Market

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