Aircraft Battery Market

The global aircraft battery market size was USD 1.72 Billion in 2025 and is expected to register a revenue CAGR of 12.0% during the forecast period. Market revenue growth is supported by continued fleet-wide demand for engine starting, auxiliary power unit starting, and emergency backup batteries across the global commercial and military aircraft fleet, alongside an emerging and fast-growing propulsion battery segment for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Joby Aviation reported in February 2026 a record 18-point increase in Federal Aviation Administration type certification progress on the fourth stage of its certification process, with all aircraft required for Type Inspection Authorization now in production, while Archer Aviation announced in August 2026 that it would acquire Boeing's Wisk Aero, SkyGrid, and Insitu subsidiaries, adding a defense business generating more than USD 200 million in annual revenue and nearly two million combined flight hours of autonomy experience. Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies that supplies nickel-cadmium and lithium-ion batteries as standard equipment on Airbus aircraft and roughly 70% of Boeing aircraft, confirmed in October 2025 that its AirLion 28-volt lithium-ion battery had passed DO-311A thermal runaway containment testing, a certification milestone required before commercial deployment. Every additional eVTOL or hybrid-electric aircraft entering flight test or certification requires a propulsion battery system engineered to aviation safety standards, and this emerging demand pool sits alongside, rather than replaces, the large installed base of legacy nickel-cadmium and 28-volt lithium-ion starting and backup batteries across the existing commercial and military fleet. These are some of the key factors driving revenue growth of the market.

Nickel-cadmium batteries for engine and auxiliary power unit starting, 28-volt lithium-ion batteries for backup power and starting, high-voltage lithium-ion propulsion battery packs for eVTOL and hybrid-electric aircraft, and lead-acid batteries for general aviation are the commercial battery technologies that constitute the aircraft battery market, supplied by a mix of legacy aerospace battery manufacturers and, for propulsion applications, aircraft developers that design and integrate battery systems in-house. For instance, in June 2026, Joby Aviation and Toyota Motor Corporation launched the initial phase of a strategic manufacturing alliance to build commercial production capability and advance manufacturing excellence in preparation for scale-up of Joby's electric air taxi production, illustrating how eVTOL developers are pairing certification progress with automotive-scale manufacturing partnerships ahead of commercial launch. The US Government Accountability Office confirmed in a May 2026 report that no manned electric aircraft design had been certificated for commercial operations by the FAA as of March 2026, underscoring that propulsion battery revenue at meaningful commercial scale remains dependent on certification milestones still in progress.

However, aircraft propulsion and backup battery systems require certification to standards including RTCA DO-311A for lithium battery thermal runaway containment, DO-178 for software, and DO-254 for complex hardware, a process that can take multiple years per battery system and aircraft type combination and that has, as the Government Accountability Office confirmed, not yet resulted in a single FAA-certificated manned electric aircraft design as of March 2026. Charging and ground infrastructure for electric aircraft also remains limited, with only 47 US airports having identified electric aircraft charging stations in their airport plans as of December 2025, constraining where certified electric aircraft could initially operate even once certification is achieved. Legacy nickel-cadmium battery replacement cycles on the existing commercial and military fleet are relatively predictable and slow-growing compared with the propulsion battery segment, meaning near-term market growth remains disproportionately dependent on the pace of eVTOL and hybrid-electric aircraft certification rather than on organic growth of the installed legacy fleet. These factors substantially limit aircraft battery market growth over the forecast period.

Based on battery type, the global aircraft battery market is segmented into nickel-cadmium batteries, 28-volt lithium-ion batteries, high-voltage lithium-ion propulsion batteries, and lead-acid batteries. The nickel-cadmium segment commands the largest revenue share because it remains the certified standard engine and auxiliary power unit starting battery across the large majority of the global commercial and military aircraft fleet currently in service, including Saft's ultra-low-maintenance nickel-based battery technology installed on the Airbus A380, the COMAC C919, and the Irkut MC-21, and airlines and operators have limited incentive to replace a certified, reliable starting battery system absent a specific maintenance or weight-reduction driver.

The high-voltage lithium-ion propulsion battery segment is expected to register a rapid revenue growth rate in the global aircraft battery market over the forecast period. Electric vertical takeoff and landing and hybrid-electric aircraft require multi-hundred-kilowatt-hour propulsion battery packs that represent an entirely new addressable demand category beyond traditional starting and backup batteries, and Joby Aviation's and Archer Aviation's disclosed certification progress, alongside Electric Power Systems' modular battery systems supplied to hybrid-electric retrofit programmes such as Ampaire's Cessna Grand Caravan upgrade, illustrate how quickly this segment is scaling even before full commercial certification is achieved. Saft's high-voltage propulsion battery system, co-developed with Safran and unveiled at NBAA-BACE in October 2025, is designed to scale from 9-seat commuter aircraft to future narrowbody jets.

• 01What is the global aircraft battery market size in 2025 and what CAGR is expected during 2026-2035?
• 02What certification progress did Joby Aviation report for the fourth stage of FAA type certification in February 2026?
• 03What Boeing subsidiaries did Archer Aviation agree to acquire in August 2026, and what defense revenue does the deal add?
• 04What DO-311A certification milestone did Saft's AirLion 28-volt lithium-ion battery achieve in October 2025, and what weight savings does it offer over lead-acid?
• 05What did the US Government Accountability Office confirm in its May 2026 report about FAA certification of manned electric aircraft designs?
• 06How many US airports had identified electric aircraft charging stations in their plans as of December 2025, according to the GAO?
• 07What manufacturing alliance did Joby Aviation and Toyota Motor Corporation launch in June 2026?
• 08Why does the nickel-cadmium battery segment still hold the largest revenue share despite faster growth in high-voltage lithium-ion propulsion batteries?
• 09What aircraft platforms does Saft's ultra-low-maintenance nickel-based battery technology cover, and why does that platform breadth matter competitively?
• 10Why does DO-311A thermal runaway containment certification function as a multi-year barrier to new entrants in aircraft propulsion battery supply?

This report covers the global aircraft battery market across all major battery types, aircraft categories, applications, and geographic regions. Primary research combines panel conversations with industry experts and is cross-referenced against company financial disclosures, government agency reports, and regulatory and certification publications. All market size figures use 2025 as the base year with a 2026-2035 forecast period.