Insights

The third quarter of 2026 marked a pivotal period for dealmaking across aerospace, defense and government sectors. Faced with ongoing macroeconomic shifts and evolving national security priorities, industry leaders actively deployed capital to strengthen critical supply chains, acquire advanced technology capabilities, and bridge the gap between traditional defense hardware and software.

The Q3 2026 KippsDeSanto Quarterly DealView report provides an exclusive look at key market dynamics, valuation drivers and notable M&A transactions shaping the industry landscape.

Highlights and key industry themes

• Supply chain resiliency: Discover how Tier 1 engine OEMs use vertical integration to safeguard core manufacturing pipelines.
• Valuation multiples and premium scale: Uncover what drives premium market multiples for specialized precision manufacturing and multi-market footprints.
• Defense tech and software-hardware integration: Explore how strategic acquirers combine open-architecture mission software, edge computing and AI with traditional sensing hardware.
• Top 10 deal breakdown: Access complete transaction data, valuation metrics and strategic details for the quarter’s largest deals—including GE Aerospace's $11.75B acquisition of CPP and Leonardo DRS's $450M acquisition of Raft.

Read the full report to access detailed transaction tables, market multiple analysis and expert commentary from our senior investment banking team.