Reduce Development Time. Accelerate Aerospace & Defense Innovation.

Bring next‑generation, software‑defined aerospace and defense systems to the field faster—while maintaining quality, security, and compliance across the lifecycle.

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Aerospace and defense can’t afford long development cycles

From next-generation defense platforms to advanced commercial aircraft and space systems, A&D organizations face growing pressure to reduce development times while scaling production. Programs must deliver increasingly complex, software-defined systems, often across multiple variants and export configurations.

Defense contractors must integrate AI-enabled and multi-domain capabilities at the speed of relevance, while commercial manufacturers work to test, validate, and certify designs faster. Across both sectors, products are increasingly defined by software, model-based engineering, and tightly integrated cyber-physical systems, making connected, digitally integrated development essential for speeding innovation.

Structural barriers to faster development

Legacy processes, growing complexity, and mounting compliance requirements are preventing organizations from reducing development time and bringing advanced systems to market faster.

Legacy processes, growing complexity, and mounting compliance requirements are preventing organizations from reducing development time and bringing advanced systems to market faster.

Long engineering cycles

Sequential workflows delay feedback and push integration issues late into development. Engineering changes cascade across systems, extending schedules and increasing validation effort.

Sequential workflows delay feedback and push integration issues late into development. Engineering changes cascade across systems, extending schedules and increasing validation effort.

Software-defined system integration

Software now drives performance, safety, and differentiation. Disconnected requirements, systems models, and design environments create integration risk and late-stage rework.

Software now drives performance, safety, and differentiation. Disconnected requirements, systems models, and design environments create integration risk and late-stage rework.

Configuration complexity at scale

Multiple variants, export-controlled configurations, and evolving requirements increase traceability burden. Without centralized control, managing baselines slows both development and production.

Multiple variants, export-controlled configurations, and evolving requirements increase traceability burden. Without centralized control, managing baselines slows both development and production.

Limited reuse of engineering data

Disconnected systems prevent teams from reusing validated requirements, models, and designs across programs and variants, resulting in duplicate efforts and longer development times.

Disconnected systems prevent teams from reusing validated requirements, models, and designs across programs and variants, resulting in duplicate efforts and longer development times.

Certification and compliance burden

Defense mandates and aviation regulations demand complete traceability. Manual or fragmented processes turn compliance into a bottleneck instead of an accelerator.

Defense mandates and aviation regulations demand complete traceability. Manual or fragmented processes turn compliance into a bottleneck instead of an accelerator.

Accelerating A&D innovation with integrated product development

Discover how aerospace and defense leaders are breaking down silos between engineering disciplines to accelerate innovation, improve quality, and deliver complex systems faster.

An integrated digital foundation for faster development


An integrated digital engineering approach is critical for speeding development of aerospace and defense systems. By connecting requirements, systems models, software, mechanical design, and manufacturing data within a unified digital foundation, organizations can reduce development time, improve traceability, and deliver safer, more reliable systems with greater predictability.

PTC unifies requirements management, model-based systems engineering, CAD-driven product development, simulation, configuration control, and lifecycle governance into a connected digital foundation, so engineering intent flows seamlessly from requirements through validation and production.

From complexity to competitive advantage

A unified product data foundation transforms engineering complexity into coordinated execution, enabling faster development, stronger compliance, and measurable improvements in cost, schedule, and risk control.

A unified <a href="/en/technologies/plm/digital-thread/plm-engineering">product data foundation</a>&nbsp;transforms engineering complexity into coordinated execution, enabling faster development, stronger compliance, and measurable improvements in cost, schedule, and risk control.

Accelerate development cycles

Enable concurrent software, systems, and hardware engineering to reduce rework, surface risks earlier, and shorten development cycles across complex programs.

Enable concurrent software, systems, and hardware engineering to reduce rework, surface risks earlier, and shorten development cycles across complex programs. Read the Blog

Strengthen configuration and change control

Maintain full visibility across variants and ensure changes propagate instantly across the lifecycle.

Maintain full visibility across variants and ensure changes propagate instantly across the lifecycle. Learn More

Improve production planning

Synchronize engineering and manufacturing data to increase throughput without sacrificing quality or traceability.

Synchronize engineering and manufacturing data to increase throughput without sacrificing quality or traceability. Learn More

Ensure compliance and traceability

Support export controls, security requirements, and program audits with complete digital traceability.

Support export controls, security requirements, and program audits with complete digital traceability. Read the Blog

Scale innovation across programs

Reuse validated requirements, architectures, and design assets to eliminate duplicated effort and industrialize innovation more efficiently.

Reuse validated requirements, architectures, and design assets to eliminate duplicated effort and industrialize innovation more efficiently. Read the Blog

Accelerating aerospace & defense innovation with PTC & Ansys

See how aerospace and defense organizations can use digital engineering and advanced simulation to reduce development cycles, manage complexity, and improve system performance.

Faster development. Stronger control. Proven results.

“The reuse of data is really important for us. We’re trying to really improve the efficiency of the organization, where we’ve got, as you scale up a business like we’re doing at the minute, the ability to scale and maintain efficiency is really important.”

Matt Beaumont, Director of Mechanical Engineering at MBDA

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How leading aerospace & defense organizations move faster

Aerospace and defense organizations are using digital engineering to shorten development cycles, manage complexity, and deliver mission‑critical systems with confidence.

MBDA: Cutting development time with CAD and PLM

<p>Learn how MBDA uses Creo and Windchill to pursue a 50% reduction in development time while improving efficiency across engineering, manufacturing, and support. </p>

Hill Helicopters: Accelerating digital engineering

<p>See how Hill Helicopters embeds digital engineering tools across development to enable seamless collaboration and shorten development cycles from design onward. </p>

NASA: Digital engineering for mission success

<p>Discover how NASA is using digital engineering to simulate reality, mitigate risk, and support mission success—enhancing safety while accelerating efficiency. </p>

Smarter satellites, faster launches: ARCA Dynamics’ competitive edge in low earth orbit

<p>Explore how ARCA Dynamics is using Creo to accelerate nanosatellite design, reduce production risk, and deliver agile, AI-powered space surveillance for a dynamic global market. </p>

Aura Aero: Building the aircraft of tomorrow

<p>See how Aura Aero leverages Onshape and Arena to create a fully digital, cloud-native strategy for aircraft development. </p>

MBDA: Cutting development time with CAD and PLM Learn how MBDA uses Creo and Windchill to pursue a 50% reduction in development time while improving efficiency across engineering, manufacturing, and support. Hill Helicopters: Accelerating digital engineering See how Hill Helicopters embeds digital engineering tools across development to enable seamless collaboration and shorten development cycles from design onward. NASA: Digital engineering for mission success Discover how NASA is using digital engineering to simulate reality, mitigate risk, and support mission success—enhancing safety while accelerating efficiency. Smarter satellites, faster launches: ARCA Dynamics’ competitive edge in low earth orbit Explore how ARCA Dynamics is using Creo to accelerate nanosatellite design, reduce production risk, and deliver agile, AI-powered space surveillance for a dynamic global market. Aura Aero: Building the aircraft of tomorrow See how Aura Aero leverages Onshape and Arena to create a fully digital, cloud-native strategy for aircraft development.

Come see us in person

Attend upcoming aerospace and defense events to hear how industry leaders are reducing development time, managing complexity, and scaling production with modern digital approaches.

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Explore deeper insights

Go deeper on the policies, market forces, and digital foundations shaping aerospace and defense innovation—and what it takes to deliver mission‑ready systems at speed.



Building the digital backbone for defense modernization

Learn why the defense industrial base must move beyond traditional, document-based methods for managing requirements and certification to keep up with the speed, scale, and complexity of modern programs.

/en/blogs/aerospace-and-defense/digital-backbone-for-defense-modernization

ABI Research: Speeding aerospace & defense innovation to the field

Get the analyst’s perspective on how digital thread and integrated lifecycle strategies help aerospace and defense leaders move faster amid rising demand and complexity.

/en/resources/aerospace-and-defense/report/pas-abi-report

Commanding Complexity: How PLE drives consistency and compliance

Learn why feature-based product line engineering (PLE) is a key strategy to meet the growing demand for complex A&D products by enabling true end-to-end reuse, from requirements through design, software, hardware, and testing.

/en/resources/aerospace-and-defense/white-paper/product-line-engineering

Connect with our Aerospace & Defense experts

Kevin Tomkins

Senior Vice President, Sales, Americas

Kevin Tomkins on LinkedIn

Kevin Tomkins has extensive experience in the computer software industry, specializing in enterprise software, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Smart Connected Products and Operations, and Augmented Reality. He is known for leading go‑to‑market strategy, partner ecosystems, and strategic partnerships that drive growth and adoption.

Alex Daly

National Security Lead

Alex Daly on LinkedIn

Alex Daly drives defense modernization strategy and engagement with the U.S. government and defense industrial base for PTC. He oversees government relations with senior leaders across Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Japanese Ministry of Defense, and founded PTC’s annual National Security Summit. He brings deep experience in aerospace and defense business development, U.S.–Japan alliances, and holds an active DoD SECRET clearance.

Jens Stephan

Regional Sales Director, Central Europe

Jens Stephan on LinkedIn

Jens Stephan leads PTC’s Aerospace & Defense business in Central Europe, supporting organizations in a strategically vital industry to strengthen mission readiness, resilience, and innovation through digital transformation. He brings over 20 years of experience in Software/SaaS and IT infrastructure sales, helping defense and aerospace leaders connect strategy with execution through PTC’s Intelligent Product Lifecycle. He is passionate about advancing technological sovereignty and building trusted partnerships across Europe.