Airbus Defence and Space

industry	Aerospace Defence

products	Military aircraft, launch vehicles, spacecraft

services	Cyber security, Military intelligence

revenue	€11,995 million

revenue year	2024

net income	€million

net income year	2024

assets	€22,582 million

assets year	2024

num employees	36,347

num employees year	2024

parent	Airbus

subsid	CRISA, Spot Image, Tesat-Spacecom

footnotes	Financials as of 31 December 2024. References:‡R2R‡

Airbus Defence and Space is the military and space systems division of Airbus. It was formed in 2014 during the restructuring of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), the predecessor of Airbus. The subsidiary consists of the former Airbus Military, Astrium, and Cassidian divisions of EADS.[3] Contributing 21% of the company's revenues in 2016, it is the second largest space company in the world.[4][5]

Plans have been announced to merge the space systems businesses of Airbus, Telespazio, and Thales Alenia Space into a new joint venture owned by Airbus (35%), Leonardo (32.5%), and Thales (32.5%). The combined entity would have had an estimated annual turnover of €6.5 billion. If approved by regulators, the new company is expected to be operational in 2027.[6]

History

Formation of EADS and expansion (1997–2008)

As early as 1995, the German aerospace and defence company DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA) and its British counterpart British Aerospace were said to be eager to create a transnational aerospace and defence company.[7] The two companies envisaged including the French corporation Aérospatiale — another major European aerospace company — in the project, but only after its privatization, as it was owned by the French state.[8] However, the merger faltered, and British Aerospace abandoned the DASA merger in favour of purchasing its domestic rival, Marconi Electronic Systems, which was the electronics division of General Electric Company.[9] The merger of British Aerospace and MES to form BAE Systems

Organization

Airbus Defence and Space is structured into three business lines:[26]

Air Power: Develops, builds and supports military aircraft systems, both manned and unmanned. It supplies a range of fixed-wing aircraft used in combat, transport, and refueling operations. Notable platforms include the Eurofighter Typhoon, A400M, A330 MRTT, C295, Eurodrone, and Future Combat Air System. This business line manages the company's 37.5% stake in MBDA, a company that produces missiles.
Connected Intelligence: Develops, builds and supports secure communications and data systems for defense, government, civil, and commercial clients. Its work spans four program areas: Space Digital, Public Safety and Security, Cyber, and Defence Digital.
Space Systems: Develops, builds and supports civil and military satellites for telecommunications, Earth observation, navigation, and scientific missions. It also develops ground infrastructure. This business line manages the company's 50% stake in ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran that provides space launch services

Aircraft

Tankers and transport aircraft

A330 MRTT

The A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is an aerial refueling aircraft based on the Airbus A330 airliner. It has been ordered by multiple operators, including the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal Saudi Air Force, United Arab Emirates Air Force, Royal Air Force (RAF), and Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). A variant, the EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45, was proposed for the United States Air Force.

A400M Atlas

The Airbus A400M Atlas is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed for tactical airlift and limited strategic airlift missions. It serves as a replacement for aircraft such as the Transall C-160 and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and bridges the gap between the C-130 and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. The A400M can also use rough landing strips, perform

Space systems

Launchers

Ariane is a series of a European civilian expendable launch vehicles for space launch operated from 1973 onwards. It is a collaboration between France, Germany and the UK. The Ariane project was code-named L3S (the French abbreviation for third-generation substitution launcher). The European Space Agency (ESA) charged the EADS subsidiary Astrium, presently Airbus Defence and Space, with the development of all Ariane launchers and of the testing facilities, while Arianespace, a 32.5% CNES commercial subsidiary created in 1980, handles production, operations and marketing. Arianespace launches Ariane rockets from the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou in French Guiana.[42] Ariane 5 completed its 74th consecutive successful mission in October 2016.[43]

International Space Station

Sites

Major European Airbus Defence and Space sites are located in the following places:[79]

Airbus Defence and Space announced in September 2022 that it would establish a research facility at Lot Fourteen, Adelaide, South Australia, in October, with the aim of developing new satellites for the Australian Defence Force.[80]

France: Elancourt, Vélizy, Les Mureaux, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Kourou in French Guiana
Germany: Manching, Friedrichshafen, Ottobrunn/Taufkirchen, Bremen and Immenstaad am Bodensee
Spain: Getafe (Madrid), Sevilla and Albacete.

References

"Executive and operational committees", Airbus^
Airbus Group Financial Statements 2024 airbus.com, Airbus, retrieved 20 February 2025^
Andrew Parker. EADS changes name to Airbus FT.com, 2014-01-02, retrieved 25 February 2014

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Tracker is a short-range mini unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) with two low noise electric engines operated by a two-man team. This fully automatic unmanned aircraft can be deployed in all weather conditions, flat terrain, mountainous areas or urban environments.

Barracuda is a multi-sensor system, designed as a demonstrator for test missions such as fast reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting and battle damage assessment, and is used as a testbed for future aerial systems technologies and procedures.

European HALE RPAS is a long-endurance UAV system designed for surveillance, reconnaissance and target acquisition. The main purpose of the European UAS is to provide wide-area ground and maritime surveillance along with reconnaissance of specific areas.

Euro Hawk was based on the Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk and was to be equipped with an Airbus Defence and Space-built signal intelligence package; it was intended to fulfil Germany's requirement to replace their aging Dassault-Breguet Atlantique electronic surveillance aircraft of the Marineflieger (the German naval air arm). The Airbus sensor package is composed of six wing-mounted pods;[35] reportedly these sensor pods could potentially be used on other platforms, including manned aircraft.

DVF 2000 VT is a short-range mini UAV with a low noise electric motor. It is an unmanned aircraft for maritime and land surveillance.

KZO is a tactical UAV with a two-stroke gasoline engine. It is an unmanned aircraft for high-speed reconnaissance missions. The gathered information is immediately available and can quickly be distributed in the command structure.

Harfang is a medium-altitude long-endurance UAV for joint armed forces. It can fulfil a wide range of missions, from surveillance to sensitive peacekeeping. Harfang provides real-time information and can be controlled either manually from the ground control station or autonomously.

ATLANTE is a tactical UAV for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions by day and night for ground forces.

In March 2023, Airbus announced the company have achieved in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone using an A310 MRTT. The company stated the aim of the technology is to achieve Autonomous Air-to-Air refueling (A4R) and Autonomous Formation Flight for the development of future aerial operations for both manned and unmanned assets.[36]

In June 2024, Airbus unveiled a mock for the Airbus Wingman, an unmanned loyal wingman fighter aircraft designed to accompany the Eurofighter Typhoon, at the 2024 ILA Berlin Air Show.[37]

Planetary science missions

The ExoMars rover is a planned robotic Mars rover, part of the international ExoMars programme led by the European Space Agency and the Russian Roscosmos State Corporation.[51][52] The plan calls for a Russian launch vehicle, an ESA carrier module and a Russian lander that will deploy the rover to Mars's surface.[53] The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, launched in 2016, will operate as the rover's data-relay satellite.[54] The spacecraft was scheduled to launch in July 2020.[55]

BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury.[56] The mission comprises two satellites which were launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). The mission will perform a comprehensive study on Mercury, including its magnetic field, magnetosphere, interior structure and surface. The launch on an Ariane 5 took place on 20 October 2018.[57] The mission was approved in February 2007 as part of the Cosmic Vision programme.

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is an active European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft designed by Airbus Defence and Space to visit the Jovian system, focused on studying three of Jupiter's Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa (excluding the more volcanically active Io).[58] It will characterize these three worlds, all of which are thought to have significant bodies of liquid water beneath their surfaces, making them potentially habitable environments. The selection of this mission for the L1 launch slot of ESA's Cosmic Vision science programme was announced on 2 May 2012.[59] It is currently in its cruise phase.

Venus Express was the first Venus exploration mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). Launched in November 2005, it arrived at Venus in April 2006 and began continuously sending back science data from its polar orbit around Venus.[60][61] Equipped with seven scientific instruments, the main objective of the mission was the long-term observation of the Venusian atmosphere. The observation over such long periods of time had never been done in previous missions to Venus and was key to a better understanding of the atmospheric dynamics.

Mars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA).[62] The Mars Express mission is exploring the planet Mars and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency.[63]

Rosetta was a space probe built by the European Space Agency launched on 2 March 2004. Along with Philae, its lander module, Rosetta performed a detailed study of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P).[64][65] During its journey to the comet, the spacecraft flew by Mars and the asteroids 21 Lutetia and 2867 Šteins.[66][67]

key people
type	Division
predecessor	Airbus Military, Astrium, Cassidian
location city	Taufkirchen
location country	Germany
area served	Worldwide

History

Formation of EADS and expansion (1997–2008)

Organization

Aircraft

Tankers and transport aircraft

A330 MRTT

A400M Atlas

Space systems

Launchers

International Space Station

Sites

See also

References

Airbus Military

Astrium

Cassidian

Airbus Military

Astrium

Cassidian

Post merger (2013–present)

C-212 Aviocar

CN-235

CN-295

A330 MRTT

A400M Atlas

C-212 Aviocar

CN-235

CN-295

Fighter aircraft

Panavia Tornado

Eurofighter Typhoon

New Generation Fighter

Panavia Tornado

Eurofighter Typhoon

New Generation Fighter

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Experimental aircraft

Ballistic missiles

Space transportation

Astronomy and cosmology missions

Solar observation missions

Planetary science missions

Earth observation satellites

Telecommunication satellites

Spaceplane

Rocket engines

One Atlas

Starlab joint venture