The simulators market is estimated to be valued at USD 13.63 billion in 2025. It is projected to reach USD 19.35 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2025 to 2030. Nations facing territorial disputes or border tensions, such as those seen in regions like South Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, are compelled to bolster their defense capabilities, including the acquisition of simulators, as these conflicts heighten the demand for advanced military equipment to ensure territorial integrity and protect national borders. As a result, governments are allocating substantial budgets toward the procurement of simulators equipped with cutting-edge technology, enhancing their combat capabilities and readiness to respond to potential threats. Additionally, the need to maintain peace and security amid border disputes fosters continuous investment in simulators, sustaining market growth over the forecast period.
In the defense sector, FMFSs are used extensively to train fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, and helicopter crews in actual mission environments, i.e., combat missions, air refueling, and air-to-air coordination. The prohibitively expensive operation and limited pool of available real aircraft for training reasons make FMFSs the least expensive and safest option. Furthermore, as aircraft such as the F-35 or A400M bring advanced avionics and mission systems, only FMFS can offer fidelity to ready crews without jeopardizing mission security or readiness.
As safety, operational effectiveness, and regulatory compliance receive increasing focus, FMFSs remain the foundation of flight training facilities. Their capability to facilitate full-spectrum training across the commercial and military aviation sectors guarantees their undisputed leadership in the international simulator industry.
For example, a live crew of a plane or tank can be trained with virtual crew and AI opponents in a shared synthetic environment, offering cost-effective, real-time decision-making in combat-like conditions. This approach reduces the requirement for expensive and labor-constrained live exercises and enables geographically separated units to train together in a common virtual battlespace. Military organizations are rapidly adopting hybrid architectures to support distributed training across air, land, sea, cyber, and space domains - positioning hybrid simulation at the center of training for future war. Civilian hybrid models, such as aviation and emergency response, allow real-world hardware supplemented by simulation layers to teach coordination, system management, and crisis management.
As cloud computing, 5G networking, edge networking, and artificial intelligence increasingly mature, hybrid simulation will be easier to use, more interactive, and platform interoperable. Additionally, the demand for adaptive training systems that reduce the logistics load, meet changing operational needs, and enhance collaborative readiness is fueling adoption - making hybrid simulation the most rapidly growing segment of the simulator market.
Europe has a mature maritime training capability. Norway, the Netherlands, and the UK each have bridge simulators, engine room trainers, and offshore emergency response simulators in high demand to train for commercial shipping and offshore energy sectors. The requirement for green transition and operational efficiency in maritime and rail transport also propels the adoption of simulation-based training on hybrid propulsion systems and digital control interfaces. The region is also a world innovation center for simulator technology, with dominant players like Thales, Indra, Rheinmetall, Saab, and Kongsberg providing innovative solutions for civilian and military use. These players meet regional demand and export worldwide, further enhancing Europe’s industrial dominance in simulation.
Besides spearheading VR/AR adoption, cloud-based training, and public-private training partnerships, the cross-industry adoption of simulators and technical preparedness in Europe make it the world’s second-largest and one of the most robust markets. The EASA regulatory agency dictates recurrent simulator-based training, which yields high simulator usage at training centers. Europe is also home to some of the world’s premier simulation and training vendors, such as Thales (France), Saab (Sweden), Indra Sistemas (Spain), and Rheinmetall (Germany), which serve both domestic and export markets.
Asia Pacific is emerging as a manufacturing and export hub, with nations like South Korea and India entering international markets under defense cooperation and technology transfer. With the combination of geopolitical imperative and increasing industrial competence, Asia Pacific is anticipated to experience the fastest and widest development in simulator procurement and deployment within the next ten years.
The simulators market is growing due to the rising demand for cost-effective, risk-free training across the aviation, defense, and industrial sectors. Besides, regulatory mandates, pilot shortages, defense modernization, and VR/AR and AI advancements are also driving adoption. Simulators enable scalable, realistic training while reducing operational costs and enhancing safety across multiple domains.
By type, the full mission flight simulators segment is estimated to account for the largest share in 2025.
The full mission flight simulators (FMFS) segment is projected to capture the largest share of the simulators market due to the unmatched capability of these simulators to deliver comprehensive, high-fidelity training for complex aircraft procedures. FMFSs replicate an entire flight environment, including cockpit controls, flight dynamics, weather, navigation systems, and emergencies, down to the minutest detail, allowing pilots to learn while flying as they would in real-life real-world missions. FMFSs are mandated by global aviation authorities (e.g., FAA, EASA) for type rating, proficiency check, and recurrent training, making them essential for air forces, helicopter operators, and airlines.In the defense sector, FMFSs are used extensively to train fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, and helicopter crews in actual mission environments, i.e., combat missions, air refueling, and air-to-air coordination. The prohibitively expensive operation and limited pool of available real aircraft for training reasons make FMFSs the least expensive and safest option. Furthermore, as aircraft such as the F-35 or A400M bring advanced avionics and mission systems, only FMFS can offer fidelity to ready crews without jeopardizing mission security or readiness.
As safety, operational effectiveness, and regulatory compliance receive increasing focus, FMFSs remain the foundation of flight training facilities. Their capability to facilitate full-spectrum training across the commercial and military aviation sectors guarantees their undisputed leadership in the international simulator industry.
By technique, the hybrid simulation segment is estimated to grow at the highest rate in 2025.
The hybrid simulation segment is projected to grow at the highest rate in the simulators market due to the ability of hybrid simulators to seamlessly combine the strengths of live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) training environments that offer unprecedented flexibility, realism, and scalability. With expanding complexity in training requirements, especially in multi-domain operations and joint-force operations, hybrid simulation allows military forces and civilian agencies to integrate physical assets and digital systems to achieve more representative, mission-like training.For example, a live crew of a plane or tank can be trained with virtual crew and AI opponents in a shared synthetic environment, offering cost-effective, real-time decision-making in combat-like conditions. This approach reduces the requirement for expensive and labor-constrained live exercises and enables geographically separated units to train together in a common virtual battlespace. Military organizations are rapidly adopting hybrid architectures to support distributed training across air, land, sea, cyber, and space domains - positioning hybrid simulation at the center of training for future war. Civilian hybrid models, such as aviation and emergency response, allow real-world hardware supplemented by simulation layers to teach coordination, system management, and crisis management.
As cloud computing, 5G networking, edge networking, and artificial intelligence increasingly mature, hybrid simulation will be easier to use, more interactive, and platform interoperable. Additionally, the demand for adaptive training systems that reduce the logistics load, meet changing operational needs, and enhance collaborative readiness is fueling adoption - making hybrid simulation the most rapidly growing segment of the simulator market.
Europe is estimated to account for the second largest share in 2025.
Europe is projected to account for the second-largest share in the simulators market due to the region’s diversified and balanced demand in the civil aviation, defense, maritime, and industrial training markets. The region has the world’s most sophisticated aviation markets with high-density air traffic networks and top airlines, such as Lufthansa, Air France, and Ryanair, requiring extensive pilot training. Additionally, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulatory requirements provide for uniform usage of full-flight simulators for type rating, recurrent training, and emergency procedure training - providing similar demand from legacy and low-cost carriers.Europe has a mature maritime training capability. Norway, the Netherlands, and the UK each have bridge simulators, engine room trainers, and offshore emergency response simulators in high demand to train for commercial shipping and offshore energy sectors. The requirement for green transition and operational efficiency in maritime and rail transport also propels the adoption of simulation-based training on hybrid propulsion systems and digital control interfaces. The region is also a world innovation center for simulator technology, with dominant players like Thales, Indra, Rheinmetall, Saab, and Kongsberg providing innovative solutions for civilian and military use. These players meet regional demand and export worldwide, further enhancing Europe’s industrial dominance in simulation.
Besides spearheading VR/AR adoption, cloud-based training, and public-private training partnerships, the cross-industry adoption of simulators and technical preparedness in Europe make it the world’s second-largest and one of the most robust markets. The EASA regulatory agency dictates recurrent simulator-based training, which yields high simulator usage at training centers. Europe is also home to some of the world’s premier simulation and training vendors, such as Thales (France), Saab (Sweden), Indra Sistemas (Spain), and Rheinmetall (Germany), which serve both domestic and export markets.
Asia Pacific is emerging as a manufacturing and export hub, with nations like South Korea and India entering international markets under defense cooperation and technology transfer. With the combination of geopolitical imperative and increasing industrial competence, Asia Pacific is anticipated to experience the fastest and widest development in simulator procurement and deployment within the next ten years.
Given below is the break-up of primary participants in the simulators market:
- By Company Type: Tier 1 - 35%, Tier 2 - 45%, and Tier 3 - 20%
- By Designation: C-level - 35%, Director-level - 25%, and Others - 40%
- By Region: North America - 25%, Europe - 15%, Asia Pacific - 45%, Middle East - 10%, Rest of the World (RoW) - 5%
Research Coverage
This market study covers the simulators market across various segments and subsegments. It aims to estimate this market size and growth potential across different parts based on region. This study also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key players in the market and their company profiles. It also studies key observations related to their product and business offerings, recent developments, and key market strategies they adopted.Reasons to Buy this Report
The report will help the market leaders/new entrants with the information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall simulators market. This report will help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to position their businesses better and plan suitable go-to-market strategies. The report also helps stakeholders understand the market pulse and provides information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.The simulators market is growing due to the rising demand for cost-effective, risk-free training across the aviation, defense, and industrial sectors. Besides, regulatory mandates, pilot shortages, defense modernization, and VR/AR and AI advancements are also driving adoption. Simulators enable scalable, realistic training while reducing operational costs and enhancing safety across multiple domains.
The report also provides insights on the following aspects of the market:
- Drivers (Rising demand for pilot training, need for low-cost military training, focus on cost-effectiveness and safety of simulator-based training), restraints (Long product lifecycle of simulators, high cost of gaming simulators), opportunities (Advancements in simulator technology, trend of air accident investigation), challenges (stringent regulatory approval, complexity of reducing size and weight of military simulators). These factors are expected to impact the growth of the simulators market significantly.
- Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on simulators offered by the top players in the market
- Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on upcoming technologies, research & development activities, and new product launches in the simulators market
- Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets in the simulators market across varied regions
- Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new products, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the simulators market
- Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market share, growth strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of leading players in the simulators market
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Research Methodology
4 Premium Insights
5 Market Overview
6 Simulators Market, by Solution
7 Simulators Market, by Platform
8 Simulators Market, by Type
9 Simulators Market, by Application
10 Simulators Market, by Technique
11 Simulators Market, by Region
12 Competitive Landscape
13 Company Profiles
14 Appendix
List of Tables
List of Figures
Companies Mentioned
- Cae Inc.
- Thales
- Rheinmetall Ag
- Kongsberg Gruppen
- L3Harris Technologies, Inc.
- Saab Ab
- Wärtsilä
- General Dynamics Corporation
- Elbit Systems
- Indra Sistemas, S.A.
- Boeing
- Flightsafety International
- Rtx
- Tru Simulation + Training Inc.
- Exail
- Cruden
- Vesaro
- Tecknotrove
- Quantum3D
- Simlat Inc.
- Fidelity Technologies Corporation
- Euramec
- Pacific Simulators Ltd.
- Avt Simulation
- Avion Group
- Precision Flight Controls
- Simxperience
- Pro Racing Simulators Limited
- Gforcefactory B.V.
Table Information
Report Attribute | Details |
---|---|
No. of Pages | 368 |
Published | June 2025 |
Forecast Period | 2025 - 2030 |
Estimated Market Value in 2025 | 13.63 Billion |
Forecasted Market Value by 2030 | 19.35 Billion |
Compound Annual Growth Rate | 7.3% |
Regions Covered | Global |
No. of Companies Mentioned | 29 |