Various methods and approaches are used for innovative development of enterprises, among which Foresight has proven to be more effective. It is a method of long-term forecasting, a way of building a balanced, coherent and responsible image of the future, a tool for predicting phenomena of a social, technical and mental nature. Foresight is a process of selecting new directions, which establishes links between elements by combining different opinions of the national innovation system actors. Foresight is used to develop long-term strategies for the development of the economy, science, and technology aimed at increasing competitiveness and maximizing the effect of the defense industry. The foresight differs from well-known planning tools in that its purpose is not only to prepare an analytical forecast of the most problematic areas of development of enterprises of the defense-industrial complex, but also to seek to unite the efforts of participants engaged in the process of change, to create conditions for them to anticipate events. Foresight is based on the technology of the work of a large number of experts who directly convey their views, knowledge and assumptions. Experts can be scientific communities, scientific and scientific-pedagogical employees of educational institutions, representatives of authorities and public organizations, large enterprises, communal institutions, etc.
The use of foresight in the forecasting of innovative activities in the defense-industrial complex will make it possible to use the best global knowledge and experience of management and development at all levels, as well as learn useful lessons from other people's mistakes, find new ways of development in a single flow with the international community, identify risks and competitive advantages.