Top 21 Boeing Competitors & Alternatives

Last updated: March 16, 2020

Boeing is an American aerospace company that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide.

Founded by William Boeing in 1916, Boeing is one of the largest aerospace manufacturer and second-largest defense contractor worldwide. As of December 2019, it has 161,100 employees and annual revenue of $76.5 Billion.

Boeing has a very diversified portfolio with four major business segments:

• Commercial Airplanes
• Defense, Space, and Security
• Global Services
• Boeing Capital

This guide reflects upon different Competitors and alternatives to Boeing.

1. Airbus

Year founded: December 1970
 Headquarter: Leiden, Netherlands
Founders: Roger Béteille, Felix Kracht, Henri Ziegler, and Franz Josef Strauss

Airbus is an aerospace company based in Europe. The company is the world’s largest airline manufacturer with contracts throughout the European Union and other countries. Airbus designs and manufactures civil and military aerospace equipment and products across the globe.

2. Lockheed Martin

Year founded: March 1995
 Headquarter: Bethesda, Maryland
Founders: Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta

Lockheed Martin is an American-based global aerospace and technologies company. It is one of the biggest companies in the aerospace, defense, security, and technologies industry with one of the largest defense contracts in the world.

As of 2020, the company currently employs more than 110,000 people worldwide. Their notable aircraft include F-16 Falcon, F-22 Raptor, Black Hawk, etc.

3. Bombardier Inc.

Year founded: July 1942
 Headquarter: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Founders: Joseph-Armand Bombardier

Bombardier Inc. manufactures business jets and high-speed trains, along with various transportation vehicles. The company was originally founded as a manufacturer of snowmobiles as Joseph-Armand Bombardier was an inventor and mechanic who wanted to build a vehicle that could “float on snow.”

The company manufactures the Bombardier Global 7500, Global Express series, Challenger 600, Challenger 300 series, and the Learjet 70/75 series.

4. General Dynamics

Year founded: February 1899
 Headquarter: Reston, Virginia
Founders: John Phillip Holland

General Dynamics is an aerospace and military defense company. In 2019, it gained the title of the sixth-largest defense contractor in the world. The company was listed on the Forbes Fortune 500 list in 2019. The founding parent company of General Dynamics, Holland Torpedo Boat Company, developed the United States Navy’s first modern submarines.

General Dynamics today reported quarterly net earnings of $1 billion on $10.8 billion in revenue. Full-year earnings from continuing operations were $3.5 billion on revenue of $39.4 billion. Read more: https://t.co/t5crqeiowx pic.twitter.com/2xfvkKlU1Q

— General Dynamics Corporation (@generaldynamics) January 29, 2020

5. Raytheon

Year founded: 1922
 Headquarter: Waltham, Massachusetts
Founders: Vannevar Bush, Laurence K. Marshall, Charles G. Smith

As a major United States defense contractor and industrial corporation, Raytheon is heavily involved in the core manufacturing of weapons and military electronics.  The company is the world’s larger producer of guided missiles, and over 90% of its revenue comes from military contracts. Raytheon and United Technologies merged companies in the summer of 2019. Annual revenues of the company are just over $25 billion.  

6. Northrop Grumman Corporation

Year founded: 1994
 Headquarter: Falls Church, Virginia
Founders: Jack Grumman, Leroy Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corp. is an aerospace and defense company specializing in military technology. Northrop Grumman is one of the largest weapons manufacturers in the world and reported annual revenue of $30 billion last year. 

7. BAE Systems

Year founded: 1999
 Headquarter: London, UK

BAE Systems is a British Aerospace company operating in the defense and security industries. BAE Systems is the largest defense contractor in Europe. The company’s annual revenue is over $15 billion last year and employs over 85,000 people worldwide.

8. Embraer

Year founded: 1969
 Headquarter: São Paulo, Brazil
Founders: Ozires Silva

Embraer is an aerospace company based in Brazil. The company produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services. Embraer employs approximately 20,000 people currently. It is the third-largest manufacturer of civil aircraft after Boeing and Airbus.

9. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (Comac)

Year founded: 2008
 Headquarter: Shanghai, China

Comac, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, is a Chinese government-owned aerospace manufacturer. The company was formed to reduce dependence on international manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus.

10. United Aircraft Corporation (UAC)

Year founded: 2006
 Headquarter: Moscow, Russia

United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) is a Russian aerospace and defense manufacturer. It has an annual revenue of over $7 billion and employs over 100,000 people.

11. Dassault Aviation

Year founded: 1929
 Headquarter: Paris, France
Founders: Marcel Dassault

Dassault Aviation is a French company operating in various segments, including aerospace, defense, and space. Dassault Aviation segment is a part of Dassault Group, and it employs over 12,000 people around the world.

12. Cessna

Year founded: 1927
 Headquarter: Wichita, Kansas
Founders: Clyde Cessna, Victor Roos

Cessna began as an aviation aircraft manufacturing company best known for its small, piston-powered aircraft and business jets. Cessna was purchased by Textron, Inc., and since 2014 operates as a brand under Textron Aviation.

13. Beechcraft

Year founded: 1932
 Headquarter: Wichita, Kansas
Founders: Walter Beech, Olive Ann Beech, Ted A. Wells

Beechcraft is an American manufacturer of civil aviation, commercial, and military aircraft as a brand of Textron Aviation. The company produces a wide range of aircraft including, light single-engine, turboprop transports, business jets, and military trainers.

As of 2019, Beechcraft produces models such as – Beechcraft Bonanza series – Single-engine piston general aviation aircraft, Beechcraft Baron – Twin-engine piston utility aircraft, Beechcraft King Air family – Twin-engine turboprop transport and utility aircraft, King Air and Super King Air, C-12 Huron (military version), Beechcraft T-6 Texan II/CT-156 Harvard II – Single-engine turboprop military trainer, based on Pilatus PC-9.

14. Gulfstream Aerospace

Year founded: 1958
 Headquarter: Savannah, Georgia
Founders: Allen Paulson

Gulf Stream Aerospace is an American aircraft company and subsidiary of General Dynamics. Gulfstream is a manufacturer and designer of business jet aircraft and has produced more than 2,000 aircrafts since 1958. The company’s current aircraft range includes the G280, G550, G500/G600, and G650/G650ER/G700. Over 35 different governments use Gulfstream’s G550.

15. Cirrus Aircraft

Year founded: 1984
 Headquarter: Duluth, Minnesota
Founders: Alan Klapmeir and Dale Klapmeier

Cirrus Aircraft is a manufacturer of aircrafts best known for producing the VK-30 kit aircraft. The company is part of a subsidiary owned by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. Cirrus Aircraft is also known for its three single-engine light aircraft models, and since 2013 has been the world’s largest producer of piston-powered aircraft. The company has pioneered new and advanced technologies in general aviation manufacturing, such as glass cockpits and full-airframe ballistic parachutes.

16. Piper Aircraft

Year founded: 1927
 Headquarter: Vero Beach, Florida
Founders: William Piper, Clarence Taylor, Gordon Taylor

Piper Aircraft is a general aviation aircraft manufacturer. The company has produced more than 140,000 certified aircraft models. The Government of Brunei owns the company.

17. Pilatus Aircraft

Year founded: December 1939
 Headquarter: Stans, Switzerland

Pilatus Aircraft is an aerospace manufacturer that specializes in STOL and military training aircrafts. The company employs approximately 2,000 people. The company is best known for its introduction of the PC-12 single-engine turboprop aircraft.

18. United Technologies Corp.

Year founded: 1934
 Headquarter: Farmington, Connecticut
Founders: Frederick Rentschler

United Technologies Corporation is a large multinational conglomerate. The company is active in manufacturing, researching, and developing in multiple segments, including aerospace, aircraft engines, industrial products, and various technologies.

Its subsidiaries include Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, and Otis Elevator Company. As a large military contractor, United Technologies gains over 10% of its revenue from the United States government.

19. Safran

Year founded: 2005
 Headquarter: Paris, France

Safran is an aerospace company that manufactures and produces aircraft engines, rocket engines, and aerospace-components. The company is publicly traded and reported annual revenue of over $20 billion last year.

20. SpaceX

Year founded: 2002
 Headquarter: Hawthorne, CA
Founders: Elon Musk

SpaceX is an aerospace company and manufactures that provide space transportation services. SpaceX is a private company with approximately 7,000 employees.

21. Blue Origin

Year founded: 2000
 Headquarter: Kent, WA
Founders: Jeff Bezos

Blue Origin is a private aerospace manufacturer and company based in the U.S. The company manufactures and provides sub-orbital spacecraft and spaceflight services. Blue Origin employs around 2,500 people currently.

References & more information

• Featured image by Ethan McArthur on Unsplash

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