Aircraft Altimeters Market Report 2025

The aircraft altimeters market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.14 billion in 2024 to $1.24 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.8%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing focus on flight safety, increasing investments in space tourism, growth of commercial aviation, rise in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), growth of the general aviation sector and increasing focus on flight automation.

The aircraft altimeters market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $1.72 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4%. Factors driving this growth include a rising demand for air travel, increased deployment of military reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, growing use of wireless and Internet of Things-enabled altimeters, a preference for lightweight and compact sensors, and the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Key trends projected for this period involve progress in avionics systems, advancements in digital altimeter technologies, emergence of solid-state altimeters, expansion of wireless connectivity and IoT applications, and continued miniaturization of component technologies.

The increase in air travel is anticipated to propel the growth of the aircraft altimeter market going forward. Air travel refers to the movement of passengers or cargo by aircraft through the atmosphere from one location to another. The rise in air travel is due to increasing global economic growth, which boosts disposable incomes and enables more people to afford air transportation for business and leisure. As air travel expands, the demand for advanced and reliable aircraft altimeters grows, since accurate altitude measurement is critical for safe navigation and compliance with increasingly stringent aviation regulations. For instance, in March 2023, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a US-based government agency, a total of 853 million passengers flew with U.S. airlines from January to December 2022, rising from 658 million in 2021. Therefore, the increase in air travel will boost the growth of the aircraft altimeters market.

Major companies operating in the aircraft altimeters market are focusing on developing advanced solutions, such as radar altimeter systems, to deliver accurate altitude data. Radar altimeter systems are electronic devices that measure an aircraft's height above the terrain directly beneath it by transmitting radio waves and analyzing the reflected signals. For instance, in October 2024, Honeywell International Inc., a US-based company that specializes in aerospace, building automation, and industrial automation, was awarded a $103 million contract by the U.S. Army for its next-generation APN-209 radar altimeter system. This new system is designed to replace the legacy APN-209 units that have been in service since 1975, offering enhanced reliability and improved performance in challenging environmental conditions. The APN-209 is available with flexible integration options, either as a standalone transceiver or with an integrated altitude indicator, allowing it to fit various aircraft configurations.

In October 2024, FreeFlight Systems, a US-based company that specializes in next-generation avionics and radar altimeter technology, partnered with Air Dallas Instruments to boost 5G altimeter retrofits for King Air aircraft. With this partnership, Air Dallas became an authorized installation and service provider for FreeFlight’s 5G-tolerant radar altimeters, including the RA-5500 series. The collaboration is aimed at enhancing altimeter retrofit solutions for King Air aircraft, ensuring greater safety and adherence to evolving airspace regulations. Air Dallas Instruments is a US-based firm that focuses on the testing, repair, and overhaul of aviation instruments, including altimeters.

Major players in the aircraft altimeters market are Honeywell Aerospace, GE Aerospace, Safran Group, L3Harris Technologies Inc., Garmin Ltd., Mid-Continent Instruments & Avionics Inc., Genesys Aerosystems, Avidyne Corporation, Aspen Avionics Inc., FreeFlight Systems Inc., Dynon Avionics Inc., Sandel Avionics Inc., THOMEN AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT AG, Raytheon Technologies Corp., Becker Avionics GmbH, uAvionix Corporation, LX navigation d.o.o., Mikrotechna Praha a.s., TruTrak Ltd., Falcon Gauge, Sandia Aerospace, and Cobham Aerospace Communications.

North America was the largest region in the aircraft altimeters market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in aircraft altimeters report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the aircraft altimeters market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

The sharp hike in U.S. tariffs and the associated trade disputes in spring 2025 are notably impacting the aerospace and defense sector by raising costs for titanium, carbon fiber composites, and avionics materials largely sourced from global suppliers. Defense contractors, locked into fixed-price government contracts, absorb these added costs, while commercial aerospace firms face airline pushback on higher aircraft prices. Delays in component shipments due to customs bottlenecks further disrupt tight production schedules for jets and satellites. The industry is responding by stockpiling critical materials, seeking waivers for defense-related imports, and collaborating with allied nations to diversify supply chain.

Aircraft altimeters are vital instruments used to determine the altitude of an aircraft above a fixed reference point, typically sea level. They operate by detecting atmospheric pressure, which drops as altitude increases, and translating this data into an altitude reading visible to pilots. While generally set to standard atmospheric conditions, they can be adjusted according to local pressure settings for better accuracy.

There are several main types of aircraft altimeters, including barometric, radar, laser, and global positioning system altimeters, as well as analog and digital models. Barometric altimeters work by measuring variations in atmospheric pressure to calculate altitude. Aircraft that utilize these altimeters include fixed-wing planes, rotary-wing aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Their applications span civil aviation, military aviation, general aviation, commercial aviation, and business aviation. End-users include original equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket sector.

The aircraft altimeters market research report is one of a series of new publications that offers aircraft altimeters market statistics, including global market size, regional distributions, competitor market shares, comprehensive segmentation, market opportunities and trends, and other vital data necessary to succeed in the aircraft altimeters sector. The report provides a complete view of the current and future industry outlook through detailed analysis.

The aircraft altimeters market consists of sales of altimeter test sets, altitude transducers, integrated flight display units, and altitude alerting systems. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values and are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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