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#Nuclear missiles or planes? What do you want @Airbus to make? Say #goodbyenukes http://ctt.ec/FcemI+[/alert]
Company profile
Airbus Group, based in the Netherlands, engages in the manufacture and sale of commercial aircraft, civil and military helicopters, commercial space launch vehicles, missiles, military aircraft, satellites, military systems and military electronics.[i] In May 2014, the company changed its corporate name from EADS to Airbus Group.
In the year ending 31 December 2016, Airbus Group generated revenues of € 67 billion, resulting in an operating income of € 4 billion and a net income of € 995 million.[ii]
Contact information
| Website: | Twitter: | |
| www.airbusgroup.com/ | @AirbusGroup | www.facebook.com/Airbus |
Airbus Group SE
PO Box 32008
2303 DA Leiden, The Netherlands
Nuclear weapons
Airbus and its predecessor companies have been involved in the French nuclear weapons programme from the outset. In December 2004, EADS Space Transportation was awarded a ten-year contract with a value in excess of € 3 billion for the production of the M51 missile, an upgrade from the M45 carrying the same warhead (TN75).[iii] The first nuclear submarine to be equipped with the M51 was Le Terrible in 2010, followed by the other new-generation submarines, Le Vigilant, delivered in 2013, Triomphant, delivered in 2015, and Le Téméraire, for which the overhaul started in 2016.[iv] The overhaul will take 18 months and is carried out by Naval Group (formerly DCNS), with the French defence procurement agency (DGA) and the Fleet Support Service (SSF).[v]Airbus is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the M45 and M51 missiles, in a joint venture with Safran which is called ArianeGroup.[vi]
A second version of the missile, the M51.2, with new nuclear warheads, was commissioned in July 2010, entered into service in 2016.[vii] It is equipped with a new sea-launched nuclear warhead (TNO) developed by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, CEA).[viii] In 2014, Airbus announced that it was also awarded a contract for the development of the third version of the ballistic missile, M51.3, to be completed around 2025.[ix] A fourth version of the missile, M51.4, is expected to enter service around 2035.[x]
MBDA-Systems, a joint venture between BAE Systems (37.5%), Airbus (37.5%) and Leonardo-Finmeccanica (25%), supplied the medium-range air-to-surface missile ASMPA to the French air force, which has been operational since 2009. It carries an airborne nuclear warhead developed by the CEA.[xi] In July 2014, MBDA commenced work on design and development of the mid-life upgrade of the ASMPA, to extend life through 2035. The contract has a value of € 57.3 million.[xii] Reportedly, MBDA is also charged with the development of the ASMPA-successor ASN4G, to be operational in 2035.[xiii] It is also interesting to note that MBDA and Larsen & Toubro have set up a joint venture to build missiles together for the Indian armed forces.[xiv]
Investors
The following financial institutions have made approximately US$ 31,011 million available to this producer since January 2014.
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[column width=”one-half”]
- Affiliated Managers Group (United States)
- Allstate (United States)
- American Equity (United States)
- American International Group (AIG) (United States)
- ANZ (Australia)
- Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) (Spain)
- Bank of America (United States)
- Barclays (United Kingdom)
- BayernLB (Germany)
- BlackRock (United States)
- BNP Paribas (France)
- BPCE Group (France)
- Capital Group (United States)
- Children’s Investment Fund Management (United Kingdom)
- Citigroup (United States)
- Commerzbank (Germany)
- Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Australia)
- Crédit Agricole (France)
- Crédit Mutuel CIC Group (France)
- Credit Suisse (Switzerland)
- Danske Bank (Denmark)
- DBS (Singapore)
- Deutsche Bank (Germany)
- DZ Bank (Germany)
- European Investment Bank (EU)
- Goldman Sachs (United States)
- Greenhaven Associates (United States)
- Helaba (Germany)
- HSBC (United Kingdom)
- Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (China)
- ING Group (Netherlands)
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[column width=”one-half”]
- Invesco (United Kingdom)
- JPMorgan Chase (United States)
- KfW (Germany)
- Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) (Germany)
- Liberty Mutual Insurance (United States)
- Lloyds Banking Group (United Kingdom)
- Manulife Financial (Canada)
- MassMutual Financial (United States)
- Mitsubishi UFJ Financial (Japan)
- Mizuho Financial (Japan)
- Morgan Stanley (United States)
- New York Life Insurance (United States)
- Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance (United States)
- Primecap Management (United States)
- Prudential Financial (US) (United States)
- Royal Bank of Canada (Canada)
- Royal Bank of Scotland (United Kingdom)
- Santander (Spain)
- Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (Sweden)
- Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (Spain)
- Société Générale (France)
- Standard Chartered (United Kingdom)
- State Farm (United States)
- Sumitomo Mitsui Financial (Japan)
- TIAA (United States)
- Toronto-Dominion Bank (Canada)
- UBS (Switzerland)
- UniCredit (Italy)
- Vanguard (United States)
- Wellington Management (United States)
- Westpac (Australia)
- White Mountains Insurance (Bermuda)
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Notes
[i] Airbus Group, “Annual Report 2016”, Airbus Group, February 2017.
[ii] Airbus Group, “Airbus delivers Full-Year 2016 results in line with guidance”, Airbus Group, February 2017.
[iii] EADS, “Contract for Production of the M51 Weapon System”, News release EADS, 23 December 2004.
[iv] Marine Nationale, “Modernisation de la force océanique stratégique : le SNLE Le Triomphant adapté au M51”, Website Ministère de la Défense, 13 August 2015 (www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/actu-marine/modernisation-de-la-force-oceanique-strategique-le-snle-le-triomphant-adapte-au-m51), viewed June 2016July 2017; Gautier, J., Pintat, X. & Reiner, D., “Projet de loi de finances pour 2015 : Défense : équipement des forces”, Sénat (France), 20 November 2014 (www.senat.fr/rap/a14-110-8/a14-110-81.pdf).
[v] Naval Today, “French Navy’s final nuclear submarine starts 18-month overhaul”, Website Naval Today, 12 December 2016, (www.navaltoday.com/2016/12/12/french-navys-final-nuclear-submarine-starts-18-month-overhaul/), viewed July 2017; Marine Nationale, “Adaptation au M51 des SNLE”, Website Ministère de la Défense, 6 January 2017, (www.defense.gouv.fr/dga/equipement/dissuasion/adaptation-au-m51-des-snle), viewed in July 2017. Marine Nationale, “Modernisation de la force océanique stratégique : le SNLE Le Triomphant adapté au M51”, Website Ministère de la Défense, 13 August 2015 (www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/actu-marine/modernisation-de-la-force-oceanique-strategique-le-snle-le-triomphant-adapte-au-m51), viewed June 2016; Gautier, J., Pintat, X. & Reiner, D., “Projet de loi de finances pour 2015 : Défense : équipement des forces”, Sénat (France), 20 November 2014 (www.senat.fr/rap/a14-110-8/a14-110-81.pdf).
[vi] Airbus Group, “2014 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report”, Airbus Group, May 2015; Defense News, .”Airbus and Safran Agree to Space Launcher Joint Venture”, Website Defense News, 10 May 2016 (www.defensenews.com/space/2016/05/10/airbus-and-safran-agree-to-space-launcher-joint-venture/), viewed in July 2017; Sud Ouest, “Gilles Fonblanc pilote le décollage d’ArianeGroup en Aquitaine (Gilles Fonblanc leads ArianeGroup take-off in Aquitaine)”, Website Sud Ouest, 3 July 2017 (www.sudouest.fr/2017/06/30/gilles-fonblanc-pilote-le-decollage-d-arianegroup-en-aquitaine-3578863-6099.php), viewed in July 2017.
[vii] Airbus Group, “Registration Document 2015”, Airbus Group, April 2016; Gautier, J., Pintat, X. & Reiner, D., “Projet de loi de finances pour 2015 : Défense : équipement des forces”, Sénat (France), 20 November 2014 (www.senat.fr/rap/a14-110-8/a14-110-81.pdf); Sénat de France, “Défense: Équipement des Forces – Avis présenté au nom de la commission des affaires étrangères, de la défense et des forces armées (1) sur le projet de loi de finances pour 2016, adopt’e par l’Assemble Nationale”, Sénat de France, Session Ordinaire de 2015-2016, 19 November 2015; ArianeGroup, “Industrial issues relating to the modernization of the M51 ballistic missile of the Strategic Ocean Force”, Website The Summer Defence Conference, 29 July 2017 (www.universite-defense.org/en/publications/the_2017_position_papers/ariane-group.htm), viewed in July 2017.
[viii] Airbus Defense & Space, “M51”, Website Airbus Defense & Space (airbusdefenceandspace.com/media-gallery/m51-2/), viewed July 20172016; Defence – Aerospace, “M51 Missile Nears First Test Launch; Will Equip Final SSBN in 2010”, Website Defence – Aerospace (www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/feature/73442/%3Cstrong%3Em51-missile,-new-ssbn-mark-renewal-of-french-naval-deterrent%3C%C2%A7strong%3E.html), viewed June 2016;
Commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées, “Compte rendu n° 46”, Assemblée Nationale, 16 April 2014 (www.assemblee-nationale.fr/14/pdf/cr-cdef/13-14/c1314046.pdf); Direction Générale de l’Armement, “2010 Activity report”, Ministère de la Défense et des Anciens Combattans, March 2011.
[ix] Airbus Defence & Space, “29 aircraft and 14 satellites ordered – A historic year for space activities with Ariane 6 up and running and the creation of Airbus Safran Launchers”, News release Airbus Defence & Space, 21 January 2015 (airbusdefenceandspace.com/newsroom/news-and-features/airbus-defence-and-space-2014-a-year-full-of-successes/)ArianeGroup, “Industrial issues relating to the modernization of the M51 ballistic missile of the Strategic Ocean Force”, Website The Summer Defence Conference, 29 July 2017 (www.universite-defense.org/en/publications/the_2017_position_papers/ariane-group.htm), viewed in July 2017..
[x] ArianeGroup, “Industrial issues relating to the modernization of the M51 ballistic missile of the Strategic Ocean Force”, Website The Summer Defence Conference, 29 July 2017 (www.universite-defense.org/en/publications/the_2017_position_papers/ariane-group.htm), viewed in July 2017.
[xi] Direction Générale de Ármement, “Le missile ASMPA”, Website Direction Générale de Ármement, 24 March 2016 (www.defense.gouv.fr/dga/equipement/dissuasion/le-missile-asmpa).
[xii] Ministère de Finances et des Comptes Publics, “Extrait du Bleu Budgétaire de la Mission: Défense”, Ministère de Finances et des Comptes Publics, 7 October 2014 (www.performance-publique.budget.gouv.fr/sites/performance_publique/files/farandole/ressources/2015/pap/pdf/DBGPGMPGM146.pdf);
Tran, P., “France Studies Nuclear Missile Replacement”, Website DefenseNews, 29 November 2014 (www.defensenews.com/story/defense/international/europe/2014/11/29/france-studies-nuclear-missile-replacement/19668735/).
[xiii] Tran, P., “Onera explores Mach-8 Missile Engine Technology”, Website DefenseNews, 17 October 2015 (www.defensenews.com/story/defense/air-space/air-force/2015/10/17/onera-explores-mach-8-missile-engine-technology/73928488/); Merchet, J.D., “MBDA, une entreprise pionnière de l’Europe de défense”, Website L’Opinion, 23 March 2015 (www.lopinion.fr/blog/secret-defense/mbda-entreprise-pionniere-l-europe-defense-22548); Hollande, F., “Discours sur la dissuasion nucléaire – Déplacement auprès des forces aériennes stratégiques. Istres (13)”, Présidence de la Republique Française, 19 February 2015 (www.elysee.fr/declarations/article/discours-sur-la-dissuasion-nucleaire-deplacement-aupres-des-forces-aeriennes-strategiques-istres-3/); Warwick, G. & L. Dickerson, “Arming New Platforms Will Push Up Value Of Missiles Market”, Website Aviation Week, 5 January 2015 (aviationweek.com/defense/arming-new-platforms-will-push-value-missiles-market).
[xiv] “Larsen & Toubro And MBDA Establish Joint Venture For Development Of Sophisticated Missile Systems”, website MBDA, 13 February 2017 (http://www.mbda-systems.com/press-releases/larsen-toubro-mbda-establish-joint-venture-development-sophisticated-missile-systems/)
