Aster-Contract for MBDA is further boost to EADS' defence backlog
Amsterdam, 13 November 2003
* MBDA to start series production for the world’s first and only advanced ground and naval-based air defence missile system with ballistic missile defence capability
* OCCAR contract strengthens European defence cooperation
* Contract continues a series of defence successes
EADS, a global leader in aerospace and defence, will register a major missile contract for MBDA, and a significant addition to its order backlog. This further reinforces the outstanding growth of the EADS defence order book. As of September 30, the EADS defence order book was already worth € 42 bn representing seven years of defence revenues at current levels.
The € 3bn Euro Aster contract was signed on Wednesday in Bonn by the European defence procurement agency OCCAR and Eurosam, the MBDA led joint venture with Thales. The contract covers the series production of a state-of-the art ground-based and naval air defence system with an anti-ballistic missile capability for British, French and Italian forces. It represents a unique solution to meet customer demand in the area of anti-missile defence.
MBDA’s share of the contract is valued at € 2.3 billion.
Philippe Camus and Rainer Hertrich, the CEOs of EADS, commented, “This is the second truly European contract awarded to EADS by OCCAR this year. Three major countries have combined their requirements in one package in order to get best value for taxpayer’s money. This significantly strengthens European defence capabilities and demonstrates the European defence industry’s ability to provide systems’ solutions meeting the challenging requirements of our customers.”
“We regard this contract as a tangible demonstration of trust in our fully integrated, international missile company MBDA,” Camus and Hertrich said. “It shows that European industrial integration is the key to creating value for our defence customers and shareholders alike.”
The MBDA success is a further important step to reach the EADS strategic target of significant growth in its defence business. It will contribute to the target of increasing EADS defence revenues from € 6 bn in 2002 to close to € 10 bn by 2005.
The EADS success story in the international defence business continues. EADS registered the largest order in its history, worth € 20 billion, for the A400M military transport aircraft in May 2003. It has already doubled its defence order book from € 22 bn as of December 2002 to € 42 bn as of September 2003. In August 2003, EADS welcomed Austria as the fifth customer of the Eurofighter combat aircraft. In September, Greece signed a contract for 20 NH90 helicopters and Spain announced it would join the Tiger programme and procure 24 Tiger helicopters. In October, EADS subsidiary Paradigm signed a £ 2.5 bn contract for the Skynet 5 military satellite communications system with the UK MoD.
All these new contracts highlight the competitiveness of EADS defence products. EADS as a shareholder of MBDA is consolidating 50 percent of MBDA’s revenues.
EADS is the second largest aerospace and defence company in the world with revenues of € 29.9 billion in the year 2002 and a workforce of more than 100,000. It is a systems integrator and as such EADS is one of the few companies worldwide capable of combining various products and technologies to form complete systems and offering the associated services. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the second largest missile producer in the global market. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo. EADS has more than 70 sites in France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain and is active in many regions worldwide, amongst them America, Russia and Asia.
Contact for Communications:
EADS
Rainer Ohler
Tel. +49 89 607 34 235
Miguel Sanchez
Tel. +34 91 585 77 89
Roland Sanguinetti
Tel. +33 1 42 24 24 26
MBDA
Carol Reed
Tel. +44 7764 323 453
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