Aerospace Engineering Careers in the UK

Updated November 2026. All links and schemes have been checked against the official sources.

The short answer

Aerospace engineers design, build, test and look after aircraft, engines, satellites and the systems within them. The UK aerospace industry had circa 113k people in employment in 2025 and a graduate engineer would typically start on £25k-£35k. You can get into the industry via a degree (A-levels in Maths and Physics are the usual requirement), a paid degree apprenticeship or a technician apprenticeship which you can then build on. Some defence and some space roles will also require security clearance.

Key points

• UK aerospace turnover was £41.5bn in 2025 and employed approximately 113,000 people according to ADS estimates.^[1]
• Prospects have starting salaries at £25k-£35k, with senior and chartered engineers going on to £50k-£80k+.^[2]
• BAE are paying their 2026 graduates £34k plus a £2k welcome payment. Airbus have advertised £23,245 for their 2027 engineering degree apprenticeship at Broughton.^[3]
• The vast majority of aerospace degrees will require A-level Maths and Physics. Manchester’s typical offer for 2026 entry is A*AA including specific subjects.^[4]
• The UK space industry employed c.55,550 FTEs in 2022/23.^[5]

What an aerospace engineer actually does

Aerospace engineers apply all the disciplines of physics, maths and materials science to anything that flies (aircraft, helicopters, military jets, drones, jet engines, rockets and satellites). Some of them will design new parts on the computer, some will test them until they break and some will be the ones who keep the aircraft that are already in service flying safely and efficiently.

The work is split pretty much into three areas: civil aerospace (passenger aircraft, engines and the systems in them), defence (military aircraft, missiles and the associated electronics) and space (satellites, launch and the ground systems that talk to them). There’s a lot of movement between the three areas in a career as the underlying skills are very much the same.

A day in the life

It’s 10am on a Tuesday. A stress engineer on a wing programme is at her desk with two screens in front of her: one is a 3D model of the wing rib, the other is the simulation showing where the metal is working. The test results from yesterday were a bit above prediction so she’s checking whether it’s the model or the test rig that’s at fault. She goes down to the shop floor at 11 to look at the actual part with a manufacturing engineer as the fix has to be something that the factory can actually make.

That’s the typical mix. Prospects say the majority of aerospace engineers work standard office hours, with overtime at busy times or to meet deadlines and many employers now have flexible or hybrid working arrangements.^[2] On-call work is not the norm although on-service support, testing and defence roles can on occasion require you to be on call outside of normal hours.^[2]

How much aerospace engineers earn

A Masters, a placement year or work in specialist areas (e.g. space systems) can take your starting salary right up to the top end of the scale. Again these are guide figures only, not promises and of course salaries will vary from region to region and employer to employer. For other disciplines see our Engineering Salaries Guide.

Which subjects you need

The University of Manchester’s typical offer for the BEng Aerospace Engineering is A*AA including specific subjects (2026 entry).^[4] Airbus were after 112 UCAS points for their 2027 Broughton degree apprenticeship (B in Maths and a C in either Physics or Chemistry).^[3] If you’re looking at that option now our guides on how Physics and Maths A-levels prepare you for engineering go into more detail.

Degree, degree apprenticeship or apprenticeship

A few things to be aware of as we enter autumn 2026. V1.0 of the Aerospace Engineer degree apprenticeship stopped taking new starts in November 2023 and has been superseded by V1.1. Check that any course you’re looking at is up to date. The aerospace options within the Level 3 Engineering Technician apprenticeship are also being replaced by new apprenticeships, one of which is the Aerospace Engineering Technician standard which is now available for starts from August 2025.^[9][10] The foundation apprenticeship is for 16 to 21 year olds (up to 24 for care leavers and those with an EHCP) and employers can receive up to £2,000 for taking one.^[11]

Degree apprenticeships at the big aerospace houses are extremely competitive and they all recruit around a year in advance. Airbus’s 2027 programme closed on 26 October 2026.^[3] Rolls-Royce have degree engineering apprenticeships in Derby and Bristol. Our comparison of a week as a degree apprentice versus a degree engineering student is all about what it actually feels like to be in each role.

Defence, space and security clearance

Defence work forms a huge proportion of UK aerospace. BAE Systems are a major employer in this area with graduate recruitment at Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire and at Brough in Yorkshire.^[7] A lot of the defence work and some of the space work will require national security vetting. The government have five levels of vetting: Accreditation Check, Counter Terrorist Check, Level 1B, Security Check (SC) and Developed Vetting (DV).^[12] SC is for people who are going to have long term, frequent access to SECRET material and DV is for people who are going to have frequent, uncontrolled access to TOP SECRET material.^[12] It’s not something you need to be concerned about at 15 but it’s something you should be aware of prior to applying.

Space is the fastest moving part of the industry. The latest UK Space Agency survey puts the number of space organisations at 1,907 and the income at £18.6bn for 2022/23.^[5] The UKSA is due to move into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology by April 2026 (it will of course keep its name and brand).^[13]

UK employers to know

• Airbus: wing design at Filton, wing manufacture at Broughton (North Wales).^[14]
• Rolls-Royce: jet engines, degree apprenticeships in Derby and Bristol.
• BAE Systems: military aircraft at Warton and Samlesbury, plus at other sites across the UK.
• GKN Aerospace: aircraft structures and engine systems.^[15]
• Leonardo UK: defence and security equipment, including avionics for the Typhoon.^[16]
• Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) : small satellites.^[17]

Two thirds of the jobs in UK aerospace, defence, security and space are outside of London and the South East, making aerospace one of the more widely dispersed engineering careers in the country.^[1]

Professional bodies

The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) is the principal professional body. Along with the ADS and the Department for Transport it runs Careers in Aerospace, a free site with objective advice.^[18] The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is another route. You can register with the Engineering Council as an EngTech, IEng or CEng (chartered engineer) via them which is the professional qualification that generally leads to senior pay.^[19] The Women’s Engineering Society is also available for support and networking.^[20]

What to do next

Years 9 to 11: keep Maths and Science as strong as you can and take separate Physics if it’s available. Build something that flies (a paper glider is a good starting point, test it and improve it). Our Engineering Key Dates page has all the deadlines for the year ahead.

Years 12 & 13 (S5 & S6 in Scotland) – take Maths and Physics. Get some work experience in Year 12 using our guide to engineering work experience. Shortlist degree apprenticeships in the autumn of Year 13 as the big employers will be closing early.

Not sure aerospace is for you? Give our no nonsense guide to which engineering discipline is right for you a go. Mechanical, electrical and software engineers all end up working on aircraft.

Parents and teachers: direct students to Careers in Aerospace and the employers’ own early careers pages and make sure they are aware of the application windows as they appear in the school calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be brilliant at maths to be an aerospace engineer?

You need to be solid and prepared to keep at it rather than be top of the class. A-level Maths is effectively a requirement for pretty much every degree and every degree apprenticeship. The vast majority of the day to day maths is done via software but you do need to understand what the software is telling you.

Is aerospace engineering the same as aeronautical engineering?

Almost. Aeronautical engineering generally refers to aircraft that fly in the atmosphere, aerospace covers space as well. Employers see the two degrees as being equivalent and will often go on to recruit mechanical, electrical and software engineers as well.

Can I become an aerospace engineer without going to university?

Yes. A Level 6 degree apprenticeship gives you an accredited degree with no tuition fees at all as you go along. You can also start off with a Level 3 technician apprenticeship and work up from there.

Do I have to work in defence?

No, there’s a lot of purely civil work (commercial aircraft, engines, satellites etc). Defence is a massive employer so it’s worth thinking about right at the outset as to how you feel about that.

Can I work in the space industry from the UK?

Yes. The UK space industry employed c.55,550 FTE in 2022/23, predominantly in the areas of satellites, data and ground systems. An aerospace, electronic or physics degree is the usual route in.

Feedback or corrections? Please email [email protected]

Image: Ansel Huang, Unsplash