HISTORY
Aérospatiale was
a French
state-owned aerospace
manufacturer that built both
civilian and
military aircraft, rockets and satellites.
It was originally known as Société
nationale industrielle
aérospatiale (SNIAS).
Its head office was in
the 16th
arrondissement of Paris. The
name was changed to
Aerospatiale during 1970.
During the 1990s,
Aérospatiale underwent
several significant
restructures and mergers.
Its helicopter division was,
along with Germany's DaimlerBenz
Aerospace AG (DASA),
combined together to form
the Eurocopter Group. In
1999, the majority of
Aérospatiale, except for the
satellite activities, merged
with French conglomerate Matra's
defense wing, Matra Haute
Technologie, to form Aérospatiale-Matra.
That same year, the
satellite manufacturing
division merged
with Alcatel to
become Alcatel Space,
now Thales Alenia Space. In
2001, Aérospatiale-Matra
merged with Spanish aviation
company Construcciones
Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) and
German defense
firm DaimlerChrysler
Aerospace AG (DASA) to form
the multinational European
Aeronautic Defence and Space
Company (EADS). Currently,
the majority of the former
assets of the company are
part of the
multinational Airbus consortium.
SOURCE:
Wikipedia |