{"id":22944,"date":"2025-10-23T16:44:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T15:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/?p=22944"},"modified":"2025-10-23T16:44:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T15:44:18","slug":"airbus-leonardo-and-thales-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-to-create-a-leading-european-player-in-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/?p=22944","title":{"rendered":"Airbus, Leonardo and Thales sign Memorandum of Understanding to create a leading European player in space"},"content":{"rendered":"

New European space player aims to unite and enhance capabilities by combining the three respective activities in satellite and space systems manufacturing and space services<\/strong><\/p>\n

Airbus (stock exchange symbol: AIR), Leonardo (Borsa Italiana: LDO) and Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (\u201cMoU\u201d) aimed at combining their respective space activities into a new company.
\nBy joining forces, Airbus, Leonardo and Thales aim to strengthen Europe\u2019s strategic autonomy in space, a major sector that underpins critical infrastructure and services related to telecommunications, global navigation, earth observation, science, exploration and national security. This new company also intends to serve as the trusted partner for developing and implementing national sovereign space programmes.
\nThis new company will pool, build and develop a comprehensive portfolio of complementary technologies and end-to-end solutions, from space infrastructure to services (excluding space launchers). It will accelerate innovation in this strategic market, in order to create a unified, integrated and resilient European space player, with the critical mass to compete globally and grow on the export markets.
\nThis new player will be able to foster innovation, combine and strengthen investments in future space products and services, building on the complementary assets and world-class expertise of all three companies. The combination is expected to generate mid triple digit million euro of total annual synergies on operating income five years after closing. Associated costs to generate those synergies are expected to be in line with industry benchmark.<\/p>\n

The project is expected to unlock incremental revenues, leveraging an expanded portfolio of end-to-end products and services leading to a more competitive offering, and greater global commercial reach. The combined capabilities also pave the way for even more innovative new programmes to enlarge the new company\u2019s market positioning. Further operational synergies in, among others, engineering, manufacturing and project management, are anticipated to drive long-term efficiency and value creation. Upon conclusion of the transaction, this new company will encompass the following contributions:
\n\u2022 Airbus will contribute with its Space Systems and Space Digital businesses, coming from Airbus Defence and Space.
\n\u2022 Leonardo will contribute with its Space Division, including its shares in Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space.
\n\u2022 Thales will mainly contribute with its shares in Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio, and Thales SESO.<\/p>\n

The combined entity will employ around 25,000 people across Europe. With an annual turnover of about 6.5bn\u20ac (end of 2024, pro-forma) and an order backlog representing more than three years of projected sales, this new company will form a robust, innovative and competitive entity worldwide.
\nOwnership of the new company will be shared among the parent companies, with Airbus, Leonardo and Thales owning respectively 35%, 32.5% and 32.5% stakes. It will operate under joint control, with a balanced governance structure among shareholders.<\/p>\n

Accelerating European leadership in space and ensuring its strategic autonomy, the new company aims to:
\n\u2022 Foster innovation and technological progress by harnessing joint R&D capabilities to be at the cutting edge of space missions in all domains, including services, and enhance operational efficiency, benefiting from economies of scale and optimized production processes.
\n\u2022 Increase competitiveness facing global players, reaching critical mass and ensuring Europe secures its role as a major player in the international space market.
\n\u2022 Lead innovative programmes to address evolving customer and European sovereign needs, national sovereign and military programmes, by providing integrated solutions for infrastructure & services in all major space domains, driving cooperation across nations and having the capability to invest.
\n\u2022 Strengthen the European space ecosystem by bringing more stability and predictability to the industrial landscape, amplifying opportunities for the benefit of European suppliers of all sizes.
\n\u2022 Create new opportunities for employee development through broader technical capabilities and the extensive multinational footprint of the new company.<\/p>\n

Joint Statement<\/strong>
\nGuillaume Faury, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus, Roberto Cingolani, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Leonardo and Patrice Caine, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Thales, declared: \u201cThis proposed new company marks a pivotal milestone for Europe\u2019s space industry. It embodies our shared vision to build a stronger and more competitive European presence in an increasingly dynamic global space market. By pooling our talent, resources, expertise and R&D capabilities, we aim to generate growth, accelerate innovation and deliver greater value to our customers and stakeholders. This partnership aligns with the ambitions of European governments to strengthen their industrial and technological assets, ensuring Europe\u2019s autonomy across the strategic space domain and its many applications. It offers employees the opportunity to be at the heart of this ambitious initiative, while benefiting from enhanced career prospects and the collective strength of the three industry leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next steps<\/strong>
\nEmployee representatives of Airbus, Leonardo and Thales will be informed and consulted on this project according to the laws of involved countries and the collective agreements applicable at each parent company.
\nCompletion of the transaction is subject to customary conditions including regulatory clearances, with the new company expected to be operational in 2027.<\/p>\n

Above, image credited to Airbus \/ James Vaughan<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New European space player aims to unite and enhance capabilities by combining the three respective activities in satellite and space systems manufacturing and space services Airbus (stock exchange symbol: AIR), Leonardo (Borsa Italiana: LDO) and Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (\u201cMoU\u201d) aimed at combining their respective space activities into a … <\/p>\n

Continue reading \u00abAirbus, Leonardo and Thales sign Memorandum of Understanding to create a leading European player in space\u00bb<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[40],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22944"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22944"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22946,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22944\/revisions\/22946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/telecomkh.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}