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Photo: Thales Alenia Space
The three major European aerospace groups Airbus, Leonardo and Thales have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a view to merging their space activities into a new leading European company. This entity, which could be operational by 2027, aims to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in the space sector while consolidating its competitiveness vis-à-vis global players. This merger marks a strategic turning point for the European space industry with the creation of an integrated player capable of carrying out major continental programmes, supporting industrial sovereignty policies and offering a sustainable framework for subcontractors and SMEs in the sector.
A European industrial project
The ‘Bromo Project’ will bring together satellite and space systems manufacturing activities and related services, excluding launchers. Airbus will contribute its Space Systems and Space Digital divisions, Leonardo will contribute its Space division, including its holdings in Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space, while Thales will mainly contribute its holdings in Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio and Thales SESO.
The new entity will have around 25,000 employees across Europe, with a turnover of €6.5 billion and an order book equivalent to three years of activity. The capital will be shared between Airbus (35%), Leonardo (32.5%) and Thales (32.5%), with joint control and shared governance between the three groups.
The new player aims to stimulate innovation, pool investments and create operational synergies estimated at several hundred million euros per year five years after the project’s completion. The company will cover the entire value chain, from space infrastructure to services: telecommunications, Earth observation, navigation, scientific exploration and sovereign space programmes.
Executives Guillaume Faury (Airbus), Roberto Cingolani (Leonardo) and Patrice Caine (Thales) hailed a ‘decisive step for the European space industry’, emphasising their shared desire to ‘build an integrated and resilient player capable of competing with global giants’.
An indirect but strategic involvement for composites
Composite materials are not explicitly included in the scope of the agreement. The MoU focuses on satellite activities and space services, not on the upstream materials sector or the production of structural components. However, composites remain indirectly involved, as they are essential for the manufacture of satellite platforms, support structures, antennas and solar panels. The consolidation of activities could thus standardise technical specifications and streamline the supply chain, offering new opportunities for European suppliers of advanced materials. The implementation of the joint venture remains subject to regulatory approvals and consultation with employee representative bodies. The three groups anticipate finalisation by 2027, following review by the European competition authorities.
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