The ('''EADS''') is a large
Europe an aerospace corporation, formed by the merger on
July 10 ,
2000 of
Aérospatiale-Matra of France,
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany, and
Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) of Spain.
As of
2004 , EADS employs more than 110,000 people at 70 production sites worldwide. Legally incorporated in
Dutch capital
Amsterdam , the corporation's headquarters are located in
Paris ,
France , and in
Ottobrunn near
Munich ,
Germany .
EADS operates with two co- and
Manfred Bischoff . This system was established with the creation of EADS in 2000.
Forgeard was previously CEO of the aircraft manufacturer
Airbus . In late 2004 he was nominated by Lagardère as the next French CEO of EADS. Forgeard had suggested that this system should be abolished in favour of a single CEO in a move that DaimlerChrysler saw as an attempt to engineer a French dominated management team.
Following protracted arguments, which caused embarrassment to EADS at the
Paris Air Show , the appointment was confirmed by the EADS Board of Directors on
June 25 , 2005. At the same meeting the Board, in consultation with partner BAE Systems, named
Gustav Humbert as President and CEO of Airbus.
Current members of the board of directors of EADS are:
Manfred Bischoff ,
François David ,
Juan Manuel Eguiagaray ,
Thomas Enders ,
Noël Forgeard ,
Louis Gallois ,
Rüdiger Grube ,
Jean-Paul Gut ,
Arnaud Lagardère ,
Hans Peter Ring ,
Michael Rogowski .
EADS was formed by its member companies in July 2000, to become the world's second largest aerospace company (after
Boeing ). EADS is also the second-largest European
Arms Manufacturer (after
BAE Systems .) The company develops and markets civil and military aircraft, as well as missiles, space rockets, and related systems.
In November 2003, EADS announced that it was considering working with Japanese companies, and the Japanese
METI , to develop a
Hypersonic Airliner intended to be a larger, faster, and quieter, replacement for the
Concorde , which was retired in October the same year.
EADS is a major contributor to the
International Space Station , and is expected to deliver
Columbus in 2007 through its subsidiary
EADS SPACE Transportation .
Typhoon ]]
(artist's impression)]]
Airbus S.A.S. is 80% owned by EADS, with
BAE Systems owning the remaining 20% (October 2005). Airbus headquarters are located in
Toulouse ,
France .
In a prospective look at aviation in 2006 ''The World in 2006'', an annual publication by ''
The Economist '', predicts that BAE Systems is almost certain to sell its Airbus share in 2006 in order to fund another major U.S. acquisition. EADS has first refusal on the share and is the most likely to purchase it but the magazine states that the two partners discussed a sale in the summer of 2005 and were unable to agree a price. In March 2006 reports in the British press intensified about the possibility of a sale, with BAE's 20% "conservatively valued" at €3.5 billion
EUR ($4.17 bn
USD ).
On April 6 2006 BBC News reported that BAE Systems was selling its share."
BAE Systems to sell Airbus stake ." ''.
April 7 ,
2006 .
Eurocopter is a manufacturer of light and medium civil and military helicopters. The CEO is Fabrice Brégier and the headquarters are in
Marignane , France.
EADS produces military transport aircraft, mainly through Airbus' majority ownership of ''
Airbus Military ''. It is the developer and manufacturer-to-be of the
Airbus A400M – competitor to Lockheed Martin's
C-130 Hercules . It manufactures the
A310 MRTT and
A330 MRTT conversions. Included within the 2007 US defense budget the USAF has set aside $8.5 billion to buy new aerial refueling tankers, starting with four per year from 2010- 2013 and rising to 15 a year starting in 2014. Boeing and EADS North America would compete for this program, replacing a single-source tanker program that was slated for Boeing.
The Space division consists of three sub-divisions:
- EADS Astrium , a satellite company. BAE Systems' 25% stake in its predessessor, Astrium, was bought out on 30 January 2003 . EADS Astrium is based in Toulouse, France, and the CEO is Antoine Bouvier. The number of employees, As Of 2004 , is 6,092, spread among four countries: France (2445; 40%), UK (2136; 35%), Germany (1279; 21%), and Spain (232; 4%).
- EADS SPACE Transportation , responsible for the Ariane launchers and orbital systems such as Columbus . The CEO is Alain Charmeau.
- EADS SPACE Services , formed mostly from Paradigm Secure Communications Ltd , a defence satellite operator for the UK MoD (operating the Skynet 5 system)
- --- 28% shareholder in space transport operator Arianespace (largest commercial shareholder)
- --- CEO is François Auque .
EADS SPACE has also purchased
Dutch Space (former space division of
Fokker ) in November 2005.
The Defence & Security Systems division consists of five sub-divisions.
- EADS Military Aircraft, including products such as the Mako/HEAT , and stakes in the following companies:
- --- Dassault Aviation (45.76%), manufacturer of fighters and other military aircraft
- --- Eurofighter GmbH (46%), manufacturer of Eurofighter Typhoon .
- EADS Services
- Missiles
- --- MBDA (37.5%)
- --- LFK
- Defence Electronics, the sensors and avionics house of EADS
- Defence and Communications Systems, electronics/software system house
EADS North America is the U.S. holding company for the North American activities of EADS. It is chaired by Ralph Crosby.
EADS Socata is a manufacturer of small aircraft.
Dresden Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EADS EFw) convert aircraft into freighter.
As of
31 December 2004 , about one-third of EADS stock is publicly traded on six European stock exchanges and the rest is divided among three major shareholders.
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On
July 17 , 2004 ''
The Economist '' reported that the three major shareholders, DaimlerChrysler, SOGEADE and SEPI, intend to sell their shares by 2006–2007. DaimlerChrysler would like extra capital to invest in its core activities, Lagardère wants to withdraw from defence aerospace, and the French government is pursuing privatisation where appropriate.
On ''.
April 11 ,
2006 .
Like any large industrial conglomerate which manufactures weaponry, EADS has been subjected to criticism. Alleged wrongdoings include:
- The delivery of weapons to non-NATO countries without due consideration for the political situation and the economic consequences and to countries where there exists an on-going Arms Race .
- Using bribes in order to further sales in South Africa .
- Engendering the threat of a trade war when specific bids are rejected (e.g. the case of the Republic Of Korea 's F-15K Strike Eagle competition).
