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Thestrategicedge

Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

RESEARCHINSTITUTE

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

contents

Tableof

04

Executivesummary

Digitalcontinuitygets

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WhydigitalcontinuityiscriticaltoA&D

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productstomarketquicker

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

Investmentindigitalcontinuitywillsurgeto2028

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HowA&Dexecutivescanacceleratedigitalcontinuitybenefits

Conclusion

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57

Research

methodology

61

Digitalcontinuitymaturitymodel

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

A&Dorganizationsonaverageallocatedasignificant2.1%

oftheirannualrevenuetotheseinitiativesin2024.These

investmentshavebroughtconsiderablebenefits,including

costreductionsandshortertimetomarket(TTM).Our

researchrevealsthat,onaverage,digitalcontinuitydrivesa

reductioninTTMofaround13%.A&Dorganizationsinour

survey,onaverage,havealreadyrealizeda17%improvementinquality.

Animpressive86%ofA&Dorganizationsagreethatdigital

continuityallowsorganizationstorampupproductionquicklytorespondtosurgesindemand,and77%believethatit

acceleratestheprocess.Ourresearchrevealsthatdefenseisbetterpositionedforproductionrampupthancivilaerospacetoday.Forty-fourpercentofdefenseorganizationsare

preparedtorampupproductioninthemajorityofprograms,ifandwhenneeded,comparedto34%ofcivilaerospace

organizations.

Theaerospaceanddefense(A&D)sectorfacesincreasingly

Executive

complexchallenges.Costpressures,supplychainissues,and

summary

demandforfasterdevelopmentcyclesaredrivingaworldwiderestructuringofthesector.Ontopofthesecomplexities,

unstablegeopoliticalscenariosareforcingnational

governmentstoincreasedefensebudgets.Tocompetemoreeffectivelyinthisenvironment,A&Dorganizations,already

strugglingwithchronicdeliverybacklogs,areattemptingtotransformtheproductlifecycle.Digitalcontinuityisemergingasacriticalenablerofthistransformation.

OurreportexploresdigitalcontinuityasatoppriorityforA&DC-suiteexecutives.Ithighlightsthemajorbenefitsandoutcomesachievedthroughdigitalcontinuityandassessescurrentinvestmentlevels.OurresearchshowsthatA&D

leadersarecommittedtodigitalcontinuityandregarditasessentialtosuccessfullyintegratingdataandinformationflowsthroughouttheproductlifecycle.Over80%ofA&Dorganizationsseedigitalcontinuityasadriverofbusinesstransformationandaroutetogainingacompetitiveedge.

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

Executive

summary

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

Weconcludethereportwithrecommendationsforacceleratingdigitalcontinuitybenefits:

•Designacleardigitalcontinuitystrategy

•Buildinteroperabilityacrosssystemstoclosethefeedbackloop

•Ensurerobustdataandmodelsmanagement

•Adoptmodel-basedsystemengineering

•Buildaconnectedsupplychainintegratedwithoperations

•Implementaculturalchangemanagementstrategyfordigitalcontinuity.

Byfollowingtheserecommendations,A&Dexecutivescanusedigitalcontinuityasatooltohelpguidethemthroughthepressuresoftransformation,towardgreatvalueandcompetitiveadvantage.

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

Whoshould

readthisreportandwhy?

ThisreportisintendedforC-suiteexecutivesatglobalA&Dorganizations,includingoriginalequipment

manufacturers(OEMs)andsuppliers.Itoffers

recommendationstohelpseniorA&Dleadersrealizebenefitsquicklyfromdigitalcontinuity.Giventhe

importanceofdigitalcontinuitytobothtechnical

andbusinessfunctions,thisreportwillalsobeof

highinteresttotheC-suite,particularlyCEOs,CDOs,CIOs,andCTOs,aswellasdepartmentandprogramheads.Thisreportoffersinsightsintohowlargeandmid-sizedA&Dorganizationscanprogresstheirdigitalcontinuitymaturity.A&Dorganizationsthataspire

toend-to-endintegrationandvisibilityacrosstheproductlifecyclewillfindthisreportinstructive.

Thisreportisbasedonoriginalfindingsfroman

industrysurveyof179seniorexecutives(directorlevelandabove)atleadingA&Dorganizationsacross16

countries.Allhaverevenueabove$500millionand

overhalf(56%)above$1billion.Themajority(71%)ofexecutivessurveyedworkwithinbusinessfunctions,

andtheremaining29%comefromIT,information

security,ordigitalfunctions.Wealsointerviewed

sixseniorA&Dexecutives/academicsatleading

organizations.Pleaseseetheresearchmethodologyattheendofthereportformoredetails.

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

01

Whydigital

continuityiscriticaltoA&D

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

Whatisdigitalcontinuity?

PΓogΓamdevelopmentinA&DishighlycomplexandΓequiΓescollaborativeintegrationofsystemsandsubsystemsacrossthevaluechain.Moreover,leadtimesforpartsandmaterialsprocurementinA&Dareparticularlylong,sometimesas

muchastwoyears,makingcarefulplanningessential.1

Digitalcontinuityaddressestheseissuesbyintegratingdataandinformationacrossallstagesoftheproductlifecycleandlinkingthemtotheexternalpartnerecosystem.Itensures

dataandinformationareseamlesslyconnectedandexistsasa“singlesourceoftruth”fortheentireproductlifecycle.

Digitalcontinuityensuresaccuracy,accessibility,andusabilityofdatathatisconsistentacrosstechnologieswhileavoidingduplication.

Digitalcontinuityalsoencouragescoordinationbetween

mechanical,electronics,embeddedsoftware,enterprise

software,andelectricaldepartments,promotingmulti-

domainoptimizations(e.g.,enhancedaeΓodynamicsand

structuralintegrity).Further,itstrengthensthefeedbackloop,streamliningdesign,production,operations,and

service.AseniorleaderfromaLatinAmericanaerospace

OEMsays:“Digitalcontinuityisthekeytotheevolutionofprocesses,efficiency,andgovernancewithinthe

organization.”

DigitalcontinuityhelpsA&Dorganizations

delivercomplex

programsby

transformingwaysofworking

GiventhecomplexityofA&DpΓoducts,theintΓicacyofA&Dsupplychains,andtheneedforrapidinnovationtomeet

evolvingsafetyandperformancerequirements,collaborationiscΓitical.ButtheΓe’sapΓoblem:thetΓaditionalA&D

technologystackisstuffedwithlegacyapplications,siloedsystems,andfragmenteddata,preventingsmoothand

effectivecollaboΓation,andoftenΓesultingineΓΓoΓs,ΓewoΓk,andconsequentlyincreasedcosts.

Byestablishingasinglesourceoftruthforallstakeholders,digitalcontinuityfostersthetransformationfroma

traditional,sequentialwayofworkingtoacollaborative,

concuΓΓentmodel(seeFiguΓe1).ThiseliminatesinfoΓmationsilos,reduceserrors,andshortensdevelopmentcycles.For

example,adesignercanaccessreal-timemaintenancedata

fromin-serviceproductstoinformaredesign.Equally,a

manufacturingengineercanuseadigitaltwintosimulateandtestaircraftdesignspriortophysicalproduction.

AsenioΓleadeΓatanlndia-basedA&DoΓganizationsays:

“Digitalworkflowsensurethatdesignsareapprovedby

relevantauthoritiesbeforemanufacturingbegins,

streamliningtheproductionprocessandensuringcompliancewithregulatorystandards.”

lnsuchlong,complexA&DpΓogΓams,oΓganizationsoftenfacechallengessuchastalentattritionorworkforcerelocation.ButseamlessdigitalcontinuityminimizesthechancesofimpoΓtantinformationgettinglostinsuchscenarios.Aconcurrent,

collaborativewayofworkingalsoboostsinnovation.Digital

continuitypΓovidesanintegΓatedwoΓkflowandallowsvisibilityofchangesinrealtime,supportingtheexperimentation,

feedback,anditerationthatfeedinnovation.

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

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CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

Statusquoand

sequentialmodel

Collaborativeandconcurrentmodel

Designer

Service

engineer

SystemsManufacturing

engineerengineer

Production

engineer

Designersupplier

Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

FiguΓe1.

CollaborationiscriticaltoA&D

Digitalcontinuityimposes

AuniquedesignmodelAsinglesourceoftruth

engineer

supplier

Service

Designer

engineer

Systems

Production

engineer

Designer

Manufacturingengineer

Source:AdaptedfromCapgeminiGroup,“Digitalcontinuityinaerospaceanddefense,”2024.

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

“CollaboΓatio∩isdigitalco∩ti∩uity’sgΓeatestbe∩efit.Digitalco∩ti∩uity

facilitatescollaboΓatio∩amo∩gdi阡eΓe∩te∩gi∩eeΓi∩gdiscipli∩esa∩dacΓossthepΓoductlifecycle.Ama∩ufactuΓi∩ge∩gi∩eeΓa∩da∩i∩-seΓvicee∩gi∩eeΓca∩collaboΓatethΓoughe历cie∩tfeedbackloopsa∩daccessau∩ified

souΓceofdata,e∩suΓi∩geveΓyo∩eiso∩thesamepage.”

BΓunoBouf

ExecutiveVicePresident,GlobalAerospaceandDefenseLead,CapgeminiInvent

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CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

DigitalcontinuitycanhelptheA&Dsectortofaceitschallenges

Bybreakingdowndatasilosandintegratingdisconnectedsystemsandprocesses,digitalcontinuityenablesA&D

organizationtopositionthemselvesforgrowth,

resilience,andadaptabilityinthefaceofevolvingindustrytrendsandchallenges.

Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

FiguΓe2.

DigitalcontinuityintegratesA&Ddata,systems,andprocesses

Digitalcontinuityenables:

Leadingto:

Thus,addressingissuesplaguingtheA&Dsector:

Dataharmonizationandintegration

·Shortenedtimetomarket(TTM)andreducedproductionbacklogs

·Acceleratedproductionramp-up

·Increasedrevenueandreducedcosts

·Improvedqualityandefficiency

·Improvedsafetyandregulatorycompliance

·Moreresilientandagilesupplychain

·Improvedsustainabilityofprocessesandproducts

·Improvedcustomersatisfaction

Wideninggapbetweendemandandsupply

Highincidenceofmanufacturingqualityandsafetyissues

Supplychaindisruptions

significantlyimpactingschedulesandcosts

Keepingpacewithglobalsustainabilitypush

Highcosts(e.g.,duetoprogramcomplexity,supplychain

disruptions,rework)

Collaborationandreal-timedesignmodification

Extendedenterprisecollaborationincludingsuppliersandcustomers

Connectedprocessesandsystems:ERP,PLM,CRM

Multi-domaindesignandbuildoptimization

Model-basedsystems/digitaltwins

Source:AdaptedfromCapgeminiGroup,“Digitalcontinuityinaerospaceanddefense,”2024.

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

“Theobjectiveofdigitalcontinuityistointroducealevelofagilitythatwillallowinformationtobetraced,understood,andmodified.Thisdecompartmentalizationrequiresa

standardizationofmethods,processes,andmodelingtools.”

JacquesBacΓy

ExecutiveVicePresident,DigitalContinuityandConvergenceOfferLeader,Capgemini

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

Below,weexamineA&Dprioritiesindetailand

assessthesupportdigitalcontinuityoffersin

realizingthem:

•Shortentimetomarket(TTM)andaddressproductionbacklogs

Atthecurrentrate,expertsestimatetheglobalaerospacesectorwillneedalmost14yearstoclearoutstanding

orders.2Bytheendof2024,Airbushad8,658aircraftonorder,whileBoeingfinishedtheyearwithabacklogof

5,595aircraft.Airbusdelivered766aircraftfortheyear,closetotarget,whileBoeingdelivered348.Demandwillrise,withonepredictionsuggestingdemandforanother32,000planesinthenext20years(whethernewbuildorupgraded/retrofitted).3Projectdelaysandschedule

overrunscanfurtherincreasethebacklog,harmingorganizationalfinancesandreputations.

Supplychainissues,latedetectionofdesignfaults,and

reworkarisefromdigitaldebtduetoalackofintegrationbetweenprojectlifecyclephases.Digitalcontinuity

integratesthevaluechain,improvingcollaborationandestablishinga“singlesourceoftruth.”This,inturn,leadstobetterdecision-making,enhancedproductquality,andminimizedrework.

Providingreadyaccesstocorrectdataandmodelsalso

savesengineerstimeandeffortandimprovesproductivity.Digitalcontinuityalsoencompassesthemodel-based

engineering(MBE)fromtheearlydesignphasebyallowingforreal-timeupdatesandchangestothedigitalmodels.

Thisflexibilityisessentialforrespondingtomarketdemand.

Forexample,adefensecontractorforfighteraircraftbuiltadigitalthreadthatconnectedtheirdisparate

requirementsmanagement,design,anddevelopment

systemstoenablereal-timesynchronization.Withdata

andworkflowsautomated,theimpactofdesignupdatesonmanufacturingandtestingisclear.Thedigitalthread

tracesthejourneyofeverycomponent,andallchange

requestsandapprovalsareautomated,meaningimpactedstakeholdersarenotifiedofupdatesinrealtime.Asa

result,itachieved25%fasterdevelopmentcyclesanda50%reductioninreworkcosts.4

•Ensuresafetyandregulatorycompliance

TheA&Dsectormustmeetstringentcomplianceandsafetyrequirements.DigitalcontinuityenablesA&Dorganizationstotransitionfromareactivetoaproactive,andultimatelytoapredictiveapproachofensuringsafetyandquality.

Engineeringteamscansimulatereal-worldscenarios,

performqualitychecks,andconductperformancevalidationandtestingthroughdigitalreplicas.Thisensuresdesignandmanufacturingaccuracy,leadingtohighstandardsofend-

productsafetyandquality.Digitalcontinuityalsoallows

continuousmonitoringandtrackingoftheproductand

processdataoverthelifecycle,supportingproactive

vulnerabilitydetectionandmitigation.Boeing,forexample,collectsandanalyzesreal-timeandhistoricaldatafromthe

digitaltwinaboutaircraftperformanceandmaintenance.

Thisassistsinidentifyingissuesbeforetheybecomecritical,improvingsafetyandefficiency.5Further,risingcybersecuritythreats,alongwithadvancementsaroundautonomous

aircraft,digitization,AI,andintelligentindustry(i.e.Industry4.0),haveintroducedanewdimensiontosecuritychallenges.Byestablishingsecurecommunicationchannelsanddata

flows,digitalcontinuitycanhelppreventunauthorizedaccessanddatabreachesandensuredataintegrityandsecurity.

Digitalcontinuityplaysapivotalroleinregulatorycompliancebyensuringthatdataisconsistentlymanaged,accessible,andsecurethroughoutitslifecycle.Itprovidesadetailedrecord

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

ofeverycomponentandprocess,offeringtraceability

fromthedesignphasetoend-of-life.Everychangeand

transactioncanbetracedandaudited,providingthe

transparencyandaccountabilityrequiredtomeet

regulatorystandards.Further,digitalcontinuityfacilitatesefficientdatamanagementpractices,ensuringdata

remainsaccurateandreadilyavailableforinspectionsandaudits.

OttoAviation,aCalifornia-basedstartup,establisheda

singledigitalthreadthatcoversitsentirebusiness.Thisispartofitsdrivetobringtomarkettheworld’sfirst

transonicsuper-laminar(TSL)aircraft,whichcanachievetwicetheefficiencyofconventionalaircraft.Ottoclaimsthedigitalthreadwillallowittomeetregulatoryand

certificationrequirementswithcompletetransparency.6

•Buildresilienceandagilityintothesupplychain

TheIATAexpectsseveresupplychainissuestocontinuetoimpactairlineperformanceinto2025,raisingcostsand

limitinggrowth.Aircraftdeliverieshavedeclined

significantlyfromthepeakof1,813unitsin2018.

Estimateddeliveriesfor2024were1,254aircraft,

representinga30%shortfallcomparedwithinitial

projections.For2025,deliveriesareexpectedtoriseto

1,802aircraft,whichisstillconsiderablylowerthantheforecast2,293units.7Additionally,A&Dorganizations,

especiallythosewithdefensecontracts,faceacriticalneedforrigoroussupplychaincontinuity.

Buildingresiliencetoabsorbsupplychainshocksand

respondingwithagilitywhileremainingcost-effectivearetopprioritiesforA&DCEOs,especiallygiventheheavy

dependenceonsuppliernetworks.A&Dsupplychainsaretypicallycomplex(evengoingasmanyasninelayersdownfromOEMs),8makingthosemanufacturerswhoare

dependentuponthemvulnerable.TheA&Dsector’sglobalsupplierbase,resultinginlongleadtimesandexposuretootherriskfactorssuchasgeopoliticaltensions,natural

disasters,changingregulations,andevolvingtariffs,stirsuncertaintyamongupstreamstakeholders.This

underscorestheimportanceofbuildingresilientandefficientsupplychainstomanagedependenciesandmitigaterisk.

%

AveragereductioninTTMbecauseofdigitalcontinuity

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CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

Awell-implementeddigitalcontinuitystrategyfacilitatestransparencyofsupplychainoperationsbyproviding

timelyvisibilityofissuessuchaspartsandlaborshortages,escalatingmaterialscosts,andlogisticsissues.Thisallowsfortimelyadjustmentssuchasfindingsubstitutesuppliersorreplacingcomponentstoavoidproductionanddeliverybottlenecks.

Digitalcontinuityenhancesreal-timecollaborationwithcustomersandsuppliers,enablingorganizationstotraceanyissuetoitssource,aswellasenablingmoreaccurateforecasting,andrapidresponsetochangingmarket

demandandsupply.

•Improvesustainabilityofprocessesandproducts

Regulatorybodiesareimposingstricterenvironmental

standards,compellingA&Dorganizationstoadopt

sustainablepracticestoremaincompliantandavoid

penalties.Byprovidingaccurate,real-timedata,digital

continuityhelpstooptimizeresourceusageandminimize

waste.Continuousdatatrackingthroughtheproductionandsupplychainenhancestheaccuracyofmonitoringofenvironmentalimpact,ensuringcompliancewith

sustainabilitygoalsandregulations.Itcanalsosuggest

adjustmentstotheprocesses,e.g.,forreducingenergyconsumptionandemissions.Digitalcontinuityalso

supportsthereuseandrecyclingofmaterialsby

maintainingdetailedrecordsofproductcomponentsandtheirlifecycles.

•Improvecustomersatisfaction

Digitalcontinuityhasapositiveimpactoncustomer

satisfactionlevels.Itprovidesassuranceofauditabilityforyearspost-purchase.BerndSchmidt,seniordirectorat

Rheinmetall,aGermandefenseandautomotive

manufacturerelaborates:“Digitalcontinuityensuresthat,evenwithstaffchanges,thereisaclear,documented

recordofallactionsanddiscussions,sonewteam

memberscaneasilyunderstandpastdecisionsand

maintainprocesscontinuity.Thislong-termaccountabilityandefficiencyaresignificantadvantagesforcustomers.“

Digitalcontinuityalsoreducescustomerresponsetimes.AseniorleaderfromaLatinAmericanaerospaceOEMsays:“IntegrationofERP[enterpriseresourceplanning],

productlifecyclemanagement[PLM],andcustomer

relationshipmanagement[CRM]fordigitalcontinuityleadstoimprovedbillingefficiency,contract

management,andreducedinvoicingerrors.Itallowsforquickreviewofcustomerhistoryandrequests,cuttingresponsetimestocustomersbycentralizingdata.”

1,802

Aircraftdeliveriesexpectedfor2025,belowthe2,293forecast

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

“Digitalcontinuityensuresthat,evenwithstaffchanges,thereisaclear,

documentedrecordofallactionsanddiscussions,sonewteammemberscaneasilyunderstandpastdecisionsandmaintainprocesscontinuity.Thislong-termaccountabilityandefficiencyaresignificantadvantagesfor

customers.“

BeΓndSchmidt

SeniordirectoratRheinmetall,aGermandefenseandautomotivemanufacturer

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CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

Digitalcontinuitydrivesrevenueandcost

reduction

Inoursurvey,weassessedthebenefitstorevenueandcostreductionthatA&Dorganizationshavealreadyrealizedorexpecttorealizefromdigitalcontinuity:

•19%ofA&Dorganizationshavealreadyseenanimpactonrevenue;amongtheseorganizations,theaverageincreaseinrevenue(e.g.,fromfasterTTM)is7.6%.

•34%ofA&Dorganizationshavealreadyreducedcosts;theaveragereductioninoperatingcosts(i.e.,fromreduced

redundancies,improvedresourceallocation,andexcludingthosetiedtoproduction)is13.4%(seeFigure3).

Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

FiguΓe3.

A&Dorganizationshaverealizednearly8%revenuegrowthand13%costreductionfromdigitalcontinuityacrosstheenterprise

Averagerevenuegrowthandcostreductionalreadyrealizedbecauseofdigitalcontinuity

7.6%

Reducedoperatingcosts

Increasedrevenue

-13.4%

Source:CapgeminiResearchInstitute,A&Ddigitalcontinuitysurvey,March2025,N=179A&Dorganizations;N=34A&D

organizationswhohavealreadyrealizedincreasedrevenue;N=60A&Dorganizationswhohavealreadyreducedoperatingcosts.

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

Unifieddatafromdigitalcontinuitycanalsosupport

predictiveandprescriptiveservices,givingA&Dorganizationsaccesstomoreflexibleandinnovativebusinessmodelsto

conquernewmarkets.9Forexample,Honeywell’ssoftwaresubscriptionoffering,HoneywellForgePerformance+,is

basedonmonetizingtheintegrationofdataandintelligencefrommultiplesystems,includingassetmanagement,workermanagement,andsiteoperations,intoasingleoffering.10

DimitriMavris,Director,AerospaceSystemsDesign

LaboratoryandDistinguishedRegentsProfessor,Daniel

GuggenheimSchoolofAerospaceEngineeringattheGeorgiaInstituteofTechnologysays:”Aprimarybusinessbenefitofdigitalcontinuityiscostreduction,particularlyinlaborcoststhroughautomation.A&Dorganizationsaimtostreamline

“Aprimarybusinessbenefitofdigitalcontinuityiscostreduction.”

operations,makingprocessesmoreefficientandreducingmanualwork.”NorthropGrummanhasadoptedafully

connecteddigitalecosystemtodevelop,analyze,build,andtestthewingsforitsModel437technologydemonstrator.Thisapproachreducedengineeringreworkandredesigntolessthan1%fromthe15–20%seenwithtraditional

methods.11

DimitΓiMavΓis

Director,AerospaceSystemsDesignLaboratoryand

DistinguishedRegentsProfessor,DanielGuggenheimSchoolofAerospaceEngineeringattheGeorgiaInstituteofTechnology

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

02

Digitalcontinuitygets

productstomarketquicker

CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

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CapgeminiResearchInstitute2025

Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

TheA&Dsectorisunderimmensepressuretodeliver

productsmorequickly.Withaheightenedglobalfocuson

nationaldefensebudgets,demandontheA&Dsectorisatanall-timehigh.In2024,globalannualmilitaryexpenditure

surgedtoarecord$2.7trillion,up9.4%from2023,the

steepestyear-on-yearincreasesinceatleasttheendoftheColdWar.12Deterioratedsecurityenvironmentsanda

generallyheightenedthreatperception,especiallyinEurope,theMiddleEast,andNorthAfrica(MENA),aswellas

strategicallysignificantAsiancountries,drovetherise.13

Ourresearchrevealsthateightin10(80%)A&DorganizationssaythatreducingTTM–fromthemissiondefinitionofthe

initialconceptorrequirementtothepointwheretheproductiscommerciallyavailable–isacriticalissuetoday.Itisalsothetop-rankeddriverofinvestmentindigitalcontinuity(44%ofA&Dorganizationsrankeditastheirtopmotivator).Larger

organizationsfinditaparticularlyhottopic,with48%rankingitastheirtopmotivatorfordigitalcontinuityinvestments,

comparedwith36%ofsmallerorganizations.

Ourresearchrevealsthat30%(53)ofA&DorganizationsarealreadybenefitingfromreducedTTM(seeFigure4).On

average,theseseeareductionof13%inTTM.Toillustrate,

digitalcontinuitywouldtrimafive-year(260-week)TTMforanewaircraftengineby33.5weeks(around7.8months).

DigitalcontinuitydrivesfasterTTM

FiguΓe4.

Threein10A&DorganizationshavealreadyreducedTTMowingtodigitalcontinuity

PercentageoforganizationswhohaverealizedorexpecttorealizefasterTTMfromdigitalcontinuity

Fastertimetomarket

WehavealreadystartedrealizingthisbenefitWeexpecttorealizethisbenefit

Wedonotexpectthisbenefit

30%56%14%

AveragereductioninTTMbecauseofdigitalcontinuity*

13%

CapgeminiResearchInstitute,A&Ddigitalcontinuitysurvey,March2025,N=179organizations.

*Amongthe30%oforganizations(N=53)thathavealreadystartedrealizingfasterTTM.

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Thestrategicedge:Howdigitalcontinuitydrivesbusinessoutcomesinaerospaceanddefense

“AkeymotivationforA&Dorganizationstoinvestindigitalcontinuityistohavegreaterconsistencyofdatautilizedandsharedamongstakeholders,whichleadstolessreworkandfastertimetomarket.Digitalcontinuitycanalsohelpfacilitatebeingthefirsttomarket,w