Aerospatiale

French company

Also known as: Aerospatiale Matra

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July 23, 2026

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Aerospatiale was a French state-owned company that was a significant player in the aerospace industry. It was a founding partner of Airbus Industrie, a European consortium that became the world's second-largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft. Aerospatiale was also involved in the development of guided missile systems and regional aircraft through joint ventures. In 1999, Aerospatiale merged with Matra Hautes Technologies to form Aerospatiale Matra, which later became part of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), now known as Airbus Group.12

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Airbus Industrie
…the funding came from France’s Aerospatiale (later Aerospatiale Matra), created by the merger of Sud Aviation with Nord Aviation and the French missile maker SEREB, and 50 percent came from Germany’s Deutsche Airbus (later DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus), a joint venture in which Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm had a 65 percent stake and VFW-Fokker…
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…the funding came from France’s Aerospatiale (later Aerospatiale Matra), created by the merger of Sud Aviation with Nord Aviation and the French missile maker SEREB, and 50 percent came from Germany’s Deutsche Airbus (later DaimlerChrysler Aerospace Airbus), a joint venture in which Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm had a 65 percent stake and VFW-Fokker…
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Concorde
…Aerospace and the French firm Aérospatiale were responsible for the airframe, while Britain’s Rolls-Royce and France’s SNECMA (Société Nationale d’Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d’Aviation) developed the jet engines. The result was a technological masterpiece, the delta-wing Concorde, which made its first flight on March 2, 1969. The Concorde…
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…Aerospace and the French firm Aérospatiale were responsible for the airframe, while Britain’s Rolls-Royce and France’s SNECMA (Société Nationale d’Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d’Aviation) developed the jet engines. The result was a technological masterpiece, the delta-wing Concorde, which made its first flight on March 2, 1969. The Concorde…
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Airbus
Aerospatiale Matra
Aerospatiale Matra was formed in 1999 from the merger of Aerospatiale (Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale) with Matra Hautes Technologies, a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group. Aerospatiale’s history dates to 1936, when France’s leading aircraft makers were nationalized and combined into six companies according…
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Aerospatiale Matra was formed in 1999 from the merger of Aerospatiale (Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale) with Matra Hautes Technologies, a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group. Aerospatiale’s history dates to 1936, when France’s leading aircraft makers were nationalized and combined into six companies according…
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