Fuel Cells In Aerospace And Defense Market To Reach $1.83 Billion And $1.20 Billion By 2030

Fuel Cells In Aerospace And Defense Market Growth & Trends

The global fuel cells in aerospace market size is estimated to reach USD 1.83 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 20.7% from 2025 to 2030. Similarly, the global fuel cells in defense market size is estimated to reach USD 1.20 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 10.5% from 2025 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing awareness regarding alternative sources of energy is one of the major factors contributing to the growth of the market.

The North American market for fuel cells in aerospace and defense is driven by significant support from the federal government of the countries. The U.K. is the leading country for fuel cells in aerospace and defense in the European region. Rising military spending in the APAC region has augmented the demand for military defense/UAVs and military vehicles. This, in turn, is anticipated to lead to the demand for fuel cells used in defense applications.

The market is likely to witness strategic alliances among businesses to expand their end-user segments in emerging markets. Public-private partnerships are predicted to be critical for attaining an economically viable technological shift. The introduction of cleaner technologies to substitute the existing methodologies is anticipated to lead to high costs, which is projected to limit innovations carried out by key market players.

The global fuel cell market is highly competitive owing to continuous technological advancements being introduced by the existing vendors and new entrants. Industry players are focusing on strengthening their relations with system installers and are looking at collaborations and mergers as strategies to help them enhance their presence in the value chain and expand their geographical presence.

Installers and system providers usually hold stock of major equipment in inventories. However, manufacturers faced bottlenecks and shortages owing to limited production in countries severely affected by the COVID-19. Furthermore, upcoming fuel cell-based large-scale projects witnessed delays in commissioning due to disruptions in the supply chain and halting of onsite construction activities in severely affected areas.

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Fuel Cells In Aerospace And Defense Market Report Highlights

• In the aerospace industry, the PEMFC product segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 84.7% in 2024. In the defense industry, PEMFC is used in various applications such as military vehicles and military drones

• In the aerospace industry, the commercial aircraft application segment held the dominant position with the largest revenue share of 76.6% in 2024, driven by the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiency

• In the defense industry, the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 11.1% over the forecast period, owing to its high efficiency and capability to operate on multiple fuels, which is advantageous for military applications requiring versatile energy sources.

• In the defense industry, the military vehicles application segment accounted for the largest revenue share of over 51.7% in 2024. Vendors operating in the military vehicles market are partnering with fuel cell technology providers to launch fuel cell-based military ground vehicles.

Fuel Cells In Aerospace And Defense Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global fuel cells in aerospace and defense market based on product, application, and region:

Fuel Cells In Aerospace Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• PEMFC

• SOFC

Fuel Cells In Aerospace Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• Commercial Aircrafts

• Rotorcrafts

Fuel Cells In Defense Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• PEMFC

• SOFC

Fuel Cells In Defense Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• Military Drones/UAV

• Military Vehicles

Fuel Cells In Aerospace And Defense Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• North America

  • U.S.

  • Canada

  • Mexico

• Europe

  • Germany

  • Italy

  • UK

  • Spain

• Asia Pacific

  • China

  • Japan

  • India

  • South Korea

  • Australia

• Latin America

  • Brazil

• Middle East and Africa

  • UAE

  • South Africa

List of Key Players in the Fuel Cells In Aerospace And Defense Market

• Advent Technologies

• Australian Fuel Cells Pty Ltd.

• Cummins Inc.

• ElringKlinger AG

• GenCell Ltd.

• Honeywell International Inc.

• Infinity Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, Inc.

• Intelligent Energy Limited

• Loop Energy Inc.

• Plug Power, Inc.