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PE exits in aerospace and defense top 2025 total in 2026
PitchBook says aerospace and defense exit value rose from $17.7 billion at year-end 2025 to $26.8 billion in the first half of 2026, driven by five major public listings.
Private equity exits in aerospace and defense have already exceeded all of last year, with total exit value jumping from $17.7 billion at year-end 2025 to $26.8 billion in the first half of 2026, according to PitchBook's Q2 2026 Aerospace and Defense Report, cited by Yahoo Finance.
The report attributes the pace to five major public listings in the sector during the first half of the year, versus none in Q2 2025. The biggest was DPC Holdings' June listing, valuing the UK-headquartered metal parts manufacturer for jet engines at $4.9 billion, which also provided an exit for J.F. Lehman & Company.
Other top listings included Global Medical Response at $3.4 billion, Applied Aerospace & Defense at $3.4 billion, and Aevex at $2.2 billion. PitchBook analyst Jim Corridore said the industry is seeing a spotlight in the wake of SpaceX's IPO and the war in Iran, while strategic priorities of Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Airbus help underpin demand for exits and dealmaking.
Corridore also linked the activity to demand for new planes to replace an aging commercial fleet, with exits of PE-backed commercial aerospace companies making up 40% of the quarter's exit value. The quarter saw an exit count of 27, up 17.4% quarter-over-quarter and 22.7% year-over-year, while total deal value fell to $6.5 billion from $11.1 billion as deals shifted toward smaller transactions.