The A&D industry has a history of early adoption of disruptive technologies to advance both product development and manufacturing processes. There are currently several key technologies that the industry is using to meet new manufacturing challenges. These technologies include additive manufacturing, advanced composite manufacturing methods, implementation of the digital twin, cognitive manufacturing and advanced analytics, robot/worker collaboration, and AI/ML, all of which are permeating many areas of the production process. The trends shaping the future of aerospace and defense in term of technology and innovation are: - Automation and digitization: Rise of automation and AI, increasing processing power - New materials and alternative energy: increased use and falling price of advanced materials, proliferation of alternative energy sources and storage - Data and connectivity : Increasing connectivity and security, Increasing data creation - Rapid development cycle : Rise of Industry 4.0 (eg, additive manufacturing and digitization), Accelerating pace of innovation