ADS Group

ADS Group Limited is the UK trade association for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors. It was incorporated in September 2009 as a company limited by guarantee and was formed from the merger of the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC), the Defence Manufacturers Association (DMA) and the Association of Police and Public Security Suppliers (APPSS). Its registered office is at Salamanca Square, Albert Embankment, in London, and it also has offices in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the South West of England and Toulouse.

ADS states that it has more than 1,700 members, and the UK Ministry of Defence lists it among the trade associations it engages with regularly. The association runs special interest groups, boards and committees and a business services network. Its Drone Platform and Counter-Drone group (DPAC UK) brings together members working on unmanned aircraft systems and counter-UAS in aerospace, defence and security and acts as an industry reference group and point of contact with the UK government. ADS is the parent company of Farnborough International, which organises the Farnborough International Airshow.

The President of ADS is David Lockwood. Kevin Craven has been Chief Executive since 2021; in October 2026 ADS announced that John Howie MBE, previously with Saab and Babcock International, will succeed him, joining as CEO designate in January 2027 and taking over the role on 1 April 2027. In 2025 ADS signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation with the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry.