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| Company type | State-owned corporation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace and defence |
| Predecessor | |
| Founded | 1 January 1970; 55 years ago (1970-01-01) |
| Defunct |
|
| Fate | Merged withMatra to form Aérospatiale-Matra; later merged into EADS (nowAirbus) |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Products | See list |
Aérospatiale (French pronunciation:[aeʁɔspasjal]) was a French state-ownedaerospace anddefence corporation. It was founded in 1970 asSociété Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale (lit. 'National Aerospace Industrial Company') through the merger of three state-owned aerospace firms:Nord Aviation,SEREB, andSud Aviation.[1]
During its existence, Aérospatiale was one of the world's largest aerospace companies. It was Europe's biggest general aeronautics manufacturer and its leading exporter in the industry.[2][3][4] Its products includedcivilian andmilitary aircraft andhelicopters,launch vehicles andsatellites, as well as weapon systems ranging fromintercontinental ballistic missiles to portableanti-tank guided missiles. The company was also a key participant in several high-profile multinational programs, including theConcorde supersonic airliner, theAriane series of launch vehicles, and theAirbus A300, the world’s first twin-engined wide-body airliner.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the ensuing "peace dividend", much of the European aerospace and defence industry began to consolidate. Aérospatiale's breakup was accelerated by the French government's efforts to privatize state-owned companies. In 1992, Aérospatiale and Germany'sDASA each spun off their helicopter divisions, which merged to form the Eurocopter Group—later renamedAirbus Helicopters—with the two parent companies holding 70% and 30% stakes, respectively.[5][6][7] In 1999, Aérospatiale’s satellite manufacturing division was acquired byAlcatel to form Alcatel Space, later renamedThales Alenia Space.
In October 1999, Aérospatiale’s remaining assets were merged with the aerospace, defence, and telecommunications division of the French conglomerateMatra. The merger both consolidated the French aerospace sector and reduced the French government’s shareholding in preparation for a larger consolidation. The merged company,Aérospatiale-Matra, then joined with Germany’s DASA and Spain'sCASA on 10 July 2000 to form the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), which was later rebrandedAirbus.
In 1970,Aérospatiale was created under the name Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale as a result of the merger of several French state-owned companies -Sud Aviation,Nord Aviation andSociété d'étude et de réalisation d'engins balistiques (SEREB). The newly formed entity was the largest aerospace company in France. From the onset, the French government owned a controlling stake in Aérospatiale; at one stage, a 97 per cent ownership of the company was held by the government.[8]
In 1971, Aérospatiale was managed by the French industrialistHenri Ziegler; that same year, the firm's North American marketing and sales arm, which had previously operated under the trading name of theFrench Aerospace Corporation, was officially rebranded as theEuropean Aerospace Corporation, which was intended to better reflect Aérospatiale's increasing focus on collaborative efforts with its European partners.[9]
Many of Aérospatiale's initial programmes were holdovers from its predecessors, particularly those of Sud Aviation.[8] Perhaps the most high-profile of these programmes wasConcorde, a joint French-British attempt to develop and market asupersonic commercial airliner. Initial work on this project had begun at Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation, its British counterpart.[8] The engines for Concorde were also developed as a joint Anglo-French effort betweenSNECMA andBristol Siddeley. However, the programme was highly politicised and encountered considerable cost overruns and delays.[8] Ultimately, it was negatively affected equally by bad political decisions and anoil crisis in the 1970s; thus, only two airlines purchased Concorde.[8]
Aérospatiale's senior management were keen to avoid the mistakes of the Concorde program.[8] Their next major effort would be a transnational consortium withBritish Aerospace and theWest German's aircraft companyMesserschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB). The British would eventually withdraw from the discussions, but the French and West Germans would proceed and form Airbus Industrie GIE. It was established with the purpose of building a twin-enginedwidebody airliner, known as theA300.[8] At first, it was difficult to achieve sales and the outlook for the A300 seemed negative. However, Aérospatiale continued to manufacture the airliner without orders, as it could not reasonably cut back production as French law required that laid-off employees were to receive 90 per cent of their pay for a year as well as to retain their health benefits throughout.[8]
Sales of the A300 picked up and the type eventually became a major commercial success, subsequently driving both theAmericanLockheed L-1011 and theMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 from the market due to its cheaper operating model.[8] On the back of this success, further airliners would be produced under the Airbus brand and the company would become a world leader in the field of large commercial aircraft during the 1990s.[8]
Aérospatiale played a leading role in the development of the European space sector.[8] During the 1960s, Sud Aviation had been involved in a multinational European programme to produce theEuropa space launch vehicle, this being a three-stage rocket with the separate stages being manufactured in Britain, France, and Germany respectively. However, all of the flight tests conducted were failures; the programme's misfortune has been attributed to there being no central authority responsible for operations. This came as a result of the issue of workshare becoming highly politicized.
When Aérospatiale stepped in, in 1973, it was determined not to repeat the mistakes of Europa.[8] The company proposed to build a new heavy launch vehicle, which would later be called the Ariane, to take the place of Europa. While other European nations were invited to participate, it would be French officials who would hold primary responsibility, and thus, make the most important decisions.[8] This approach was agreed upon with several other nations; during 1979.
Ariane was an immediate success, allowing the French to gain a strong advantage over the United States, which had centred its efforts on the Space Shuttle. However, theChallenger disaster during 1986 showed that it was too complex for routine use as a satellite launch platform.[8] Aérospatiale went on to develop more capable versions of the Ariane, which took much of the business of space launches away from the Americans during the 1990s.[8]
In 1992, Aérospatiale and the German defense companyDaimlerBenz Aerospace AG (DASA) combined their respective helicopter divisions together to form theEurocopter Group; ownership of this new entity was shared (70% and 30% respectively) between the two parent companies.[10]
During the late 1990s,French Prime MinisterLionel Jospin'sPlural Left government initiated a policy towards theprivatization of Aérospatiale.[11][12] In 1999, the majority of Aérospatiale, except for the satellites activities, merged with French conglomerateMatra's defense wing,Matra Haute Technologie, to formAérospatiale-Matra.[13]
On 10 July 2000, Aérospatiale-Matra merged with DASA and Spanish aviation companyConstrucciones Aeronáuticas SA and to form the multinationalEuropean Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).[14] EADS would later rebrand itself asAirbus, taking the name of its commercial aircraft division, its primary business.[15][16]
During 2001, Aérospatiale-Matra's missile division underwent a further merger withAnglo-French outfitMatra BAe Dynamics and the missile division ofAlenia Marconi Systems to form the multinationalMBDA entity.[17][18]
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