AMSTERDAM, 1 July 2016. Airbus Group SE and Safran finalized the creation of the Airbus Safran Launchers, a new 50/50 joint venture company which is now operational.
“With the closing of this agreement, Airbus Safran Launchers becomes fully operational and will focus all its efforts on delivering more competitive solutions to its customers,” says Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus Group. “Top of the list is the next-generation Ariane 6 launcher, which is due to have its maiden flight as early as 2020.”
Airbus Safran Launchers, with 8,400 employees in France and Germany, is the head company in a group comprising 11 subsidiaries and affiliates: APP, Arianespace, Cilas, Eurockot, Eurocryospace, Europropulsion, Nuclétudes, Pyroalliance, Regulus, Sodern, and Starsem.
Airbus Safran Launchers inherits a portfolio of products and services, enabling it to deliver innovative and competitive solutions to numerous customers around the world, officials say. Airbus Safran Launchers is already managing launcher program activities and associated equity stakes; with this closing, the company officially incorporates the parent companies’ assets and subsidiaries related to its core business.
Today’s final step is the culmination of an ambitious strategic initiative, started in 2014, to reshape the launcher industry in Europe and better serve French, German, and European strategic interests.
“I would like to extend my warm thanks to our customers, partners, suppliers and, of course, our employees, for their support and trust during this process. Achieving such a radical transformation is a complex and challenging task. But it sets us firmly on the path to a more integrated, more efficient and more competitive European launcher industry,” adds Philippe Petitcolin, CEO of Safran.
To obtain a 50 percent stake in Airbus Safran Launchers, Safran will make an economic equalization of 750 million Euro.
Airbus Group is a global provider of aeronautics, space, and related services. In 2015, the Group – comprising Airbus, Airbus Defence and Space, and Airbus Helicopters – generated revenues of €64.5 billion and employed a workforce of around 136,600.
Safran is an international high-technology group with three core businesses: Aerospace (propulsion and equipment), Defence and Security. Operating worldwide, the group has 70,000 employees and generated sales of 17.4 billion euros in 2015. Working independently or in partnership, Safran holds world or European leadership positions in its core markets. The group invests heavily in Research & Development to meet the requirements of changing markets, including expenditures of more than 2 billion euros.
Search the Aerospace & Defense Buyer's Guide
You might also like:
Subscribe today to receive all the latest aerospace technology and engineering news, delivered directly to your e-mail inbox twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Sign upfor your free subscription to the Intelligent Inbox e-newsletter at http://www.intelligent-aerospace.com/subscribe.html.
Connect with Intelligent Aerospace on social media: Twitter (@IntelligentAero), LinkedIn,Google+, and Instagram.
Intelligent Aerospace
Global Aerospace Technology NetworkIntelligent Aerospace, the global aerospace technology network, reports on the latest tools, technologies, and trends of vital importance to aerospace professionals involved in air traffic control, airport operations, satellites and space, and commercial and military avionics on fixed-wing, rotor-wing, and unmanned aircraft throughout the world.
