- Rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and mandates for open standards are reshaping the industry, creating both risks and rewards for engineering teams
- AI-assisted decision making, cost reductions and extreme environments expected to have biggest impact on aerospace and defense design engineering in next decade
- Aerospace and defense offers a demanding yet rewarding career path with strong job satisfaction and opportunities for continuous learning
LISLE, Ill., Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Molex, a global electronics leader and connectivity innovator, has released the results of a survey exploring top trends, technology innovations and evolving career skills impacting design engineers at aerospace and defense companies. The survey report, entitled “2025 State of Design Engineering in Aerospace and Defense,” polled 1,021 qualified participants with direct engineering responsibility, either as hands-on design engineers or management leaders, at OEMs, prime contractors or Tier 1/sub-system suppliers in the aerospace and defense industry in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany.
A new design engineering survey from Molex reveals how AI, open standards and evolving skills are driving innovation and rewarding careers in aerospace and defense engineering.
Respondents ranked their exploration of various technology innovations, encompassing high-speed data transfer, electronic defense, advanced sensing and sensor processing, as well as power distribution and onboard power management. “Facing the rigors and realities of modern missions requires the use of new technologies and tools to elevate designs of electrical systems and interconnect architectures,” said Mike Cole, SVP and president, Aerospace and Defense Solutions, Molex. “As this latest Molex survey reveals, aerospace and defense companies are rising to the occasion with strategic investments and deliberate skill-development strategies to meet customer needs and widen their competitive advantage.”
Navigating the Promise and Peril of AI
A near-universal belief in the promise of AI led 86% of the survey participants to report that AI-assisted design expertise is critical to their company’s future success. Nearly all engineers (98%) cited benefits, including increased creativity (60%), reduced costs (53%), improved testing scenarios (45%), strengthened security (44%), and support for alternative parts and material selection (37%). Widespread optimism is driving use of AI tools, even before formal corporate policies are in place. In fact, 79% of design engineers use AI tools that have not been approved yet by their companies. Concerns over AI, however, grow with increased usage, with 43% of regular users reporting “significant concerns,” compared to just 17% who use it occasionally.
Interestingly, the use of approved AI design engineering tools is more common in European countries, with Germany (89%), France (87%) and the United Kingdom (79%) topping the U.S. (72%). This trend also correlates to more frequent usage by engineers, with France leading the list at 66%, followed by Germany (55%), United Kingdom (53%) and the U.S. (52%).
Investigating and Implementing Open Standards
A positive outlook on the value of open standards was shared by 94% of the participants. While 39% of companies reported full implementation, the majority (57%) are in the earlier stages—either beginning implementation or actively investigating open systems architectures. Among those polled, OEMs and prime contractors in aerospace and defense are leading the charge in embracing Hardware Opens Systems Technologies (HOST) and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) while efforts involving Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) are more common at Tier 1/sub-system suppliers.
Evolving Pressures and Priorities
Over the past five years, ever-increasing power requirements (52%) and security demands (48%) have created the most challenges for engineers, especially in addressing the complexities of electrification and connectivity on product designs. As respondents looked to the next decade, they agreed design engineering will be most impacted by adoption of AI-assisted decision making (40%), cost-reduction initiatives (37%) and increasingly extreme environments (35%). Top pressures that continue to escalate include reliability (43%) and security (45%), along with safety and quality (43%). Three out of four design engineers are concerned about their company’s reputation for reliability with 30% stating they are “highly concerned.”
Expertise Needed for Modern Missions
Forward-looking priorities across the aerospace and defense industry require advanced engineering expertise, leading to the implementation of deliberate skill-development strategies. According to the survey, AI ranks first (64%) in skills that engineering teams plan to invest in over the next year, followed by high-speed data transfer (44%), cybersecurity (43%), manufacturing engineering (31%), software (31%) and high-power design (28%). A balanced approach to closing the skills gap is evident, with those polled prioritizing training existing staff while also working with consultants and hiring new talent as key strategies.
A Demanding and Rewarding Career Path
Survey findings characterize a career in aerospace and defense as having a distinct balance of risks and rewards. Navigating organizational bureaucracy, as well as ever-changing compliance demands, led the list of major professional challenges. In contrast, respondents revealed that a career in aerospace and defense offers many rewards, including job security (54%), the satisfaction of solving hard problems (50%) and opportunities for continuous learning (50%).
About Molex
Molex is a global electronics leader committed to making the world a better, more-connected place. With a presence in more than 38 countries, Molex enables transformative technology innovation in the consumer device, aerospace and defense, data center, cloud, telecommunications, transportation, industrial automation and healthcare industries. Through trusted customer and industry relationships, unrivaled engineering expertise, and product quality and reliability, Molex realizes the infinite potential of Creating Connections for Life. For more information, visit www.molex.com.
SOURCE Molex Incorporated
