Farnborough 2026: GKN Aerospace positioned for European pivot to sovereign defence spending

An artist's impression of the UAV that GKN Aerospace is to design and fly within 18 months, under a contract awarded by the Swedish FMV. (GKN Aerospace)

GKN Aerospace is increasingly positioning itself to take advantage of a European pivot towards increased sovereign defence spending, CEO Peter Dilnot said.

Speaking to Janes and other media ahead of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, Dilnot said that the UK-headquartered company is well placed as Europe looks to invest more of its defence spending away from the US and into continental and national projects.

“On the defence side, what we are seeing on the European stage […] is spending more of its defence spending in Europe rather than spending it in the US – that is definitely a theme,” Dilnot said, adding, “We have unquestionably pivoted the business towards that, and that is where the opportunity lies.”

As Dilnot noted, Europe is currently very heavily invested in acquiring US military equipment, such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), and while this will continue for the foreseeable future he sees the trend towards disinvestment in the US market over time.

“The reality is, you can't change programmes overnight, and so there is going to be a doubling down of spending on existing platforms and things like the F-35. But over time, there is, without question, a shift towards European sovereign capability. And actually, I will say there is also a shift towards national sovereign capability [within Europe],” he said.

Speaking at the same media event in April 2026, GKN Aerospace's Chief Technical Officer Russ Dunn outlined the company's military portfolio as it looks to take advantage of growing European investment.