Safran S.A. () is a French multinational

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

, defence and

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...

corporation headquartered in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It designs, develops and manufactures both commercial and military

aircraft engines An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft Air propulsion, propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either Reciprocating ...

;

launch vehicle A launch vehicle is typically a rocket-powered vehicle designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space. The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage ...

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed spaceflight, to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including Telecommunications, communications, Earth observation satellite, Earth observation, Weather s ...

and

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

propulsion systems; as well as various other aerospace and military equipment and devices. The company was founded in 2005 through a merger between the aerospace engine manufacturer

SNECMA Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It d ...

and the electronics specialist SAGEM. Safran's subsequent acquisition of Zodiac Aerospace in 2018 significantly expanded its aeronautical activities. Employing over 92,000 people and generating 27.31 billion euros in revenue in 2024, the company is listed on the

Euronext Euronext N.V. (short for European New Exchange Technology) is a European bourse that provides trading and post-trade services for a range of financial instruments. Traded assets include regulated equities, exchange-traded funds (ETF), warrant ...

stock exchange and is part of the

CAC 40 The CAC 40 () () is a Benchmark (computing), benchmark French stock market index. The index represents a capitalization-weighted measure of the 40 most significant stocks among the 100 largest market capitalization, market caps on the Euronext Pa ...

and Euro Stoxx 50.

Name

The name Safran was chosen from 4,250 suggestions, including 1,750 proposed by employees. As a

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

for many subsidiaries, the name was deemed suitable for the suggestion of direction, movement, and strategy. Safran translates as

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

blade and as

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of '' Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent ...

, which the company highlights as one of the catalysts for early international trade.

History

Origins

In 1905 Louis Seguin created the company

Gnome A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

. Production of the first

rotary engine The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and its ...

for airplanes, the Gnome Omega, started in 1909. This company merged with

Le Rhône Le Rhône was the name given to a series of Rotary engine, rotary aircraft engines built between 1910 and 1920. Le Rhône series engines were originally sold by the Gnome et Rhône#Le Rhône, Société des Moteurs Le Rhône and, following a 1914 ...

, a company created in 1912 by Louis Verdet, to form the Gnome et Rhône engine company. Gnome & Rhône was nationalized in 1945, creating

Snecma Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It d ...

. In 2000, this company gave its name to the “Snecma Group”, and carried out a number of acquisitions to form a larger group with an array of complementary businesses. Sagem (Société d’Applications Générales de l’Electricité et de la Mécanique) was created in 1925 by Marcel Môme. In 1939, Sagem entered the telephone and transmissions market by taking control of Société anonyme des télécommunications (SAT). It acquired Société de Fabrication d’Instruments de Mesure (Sfim), a measurement instrument specialist, in 1999. However, by 2008 Sagem Mobile and Sagem Communications had been sold. Sagem Mobile became Sagem Wireless in January 2009.

Safran Group

The Safran Group was created on 11 May 2005 with the merger of

and Sagem SA. In June 2014, Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël announced that European efforts to remain

competitive Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...

in response to

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

's recent success have begun in earnest. This included the creation of a new

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

company from

Arianespace Arianespace SA is a French company founded in March 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It operates two launch vehicles: Vega C, a Small-lift launch vehicle, small-lift rocket, and Ariane 6, a Medium-lift launch vehicl ...

's two largest

shareholders A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the ...

: the launch-vehicle producer

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

and engine-producer Safran. By May 2015, Safran had created with Airbus Group a launcher joint venture called Airbus Safran Launchers. This entity developed the

Ariane 6 Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) and manufactured by a consortium of European companies, led by the prime contractor ArianeGroup. As part of the Ariane rocket family, it is operate ...

for its initial flights in July 2024. In January 2017, Safran initiated a

takeover In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are publicly listed, in contrast to the acquisi ...

of the aircraft interior supplier Zodiac Aerospace to create the third largest aerospace supplier with $22.5 billion revenue, behind

United Technologies United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational corporation, multinational list of conglomerates, conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous are ...

with $28.2 billion and

GE Aviation General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, is an American aircraft engine supplier that is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. It is the legal successor to the original General Electric Company founded in 1892, wh ...

with $24.7 billion; the new group will be 92,000-employee strong, with 48% of its business in aircraft systems and equipment, from landing gears to seats, 46% in propulsion and 6% in defense. In May 2017, Safran announced the completion of the sale of its identity and security activities to

Advent International Advent International Corporation is an American global private equity firm. It is focused on buyouts of companies in Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on international buyouts, growth and strat ...

for Euro 2.4 billion. In February 2018, Safran took control of Zodiac Aerospace, significantly expanding its aircraft equipment activities. Zodiac Aerospace has 32,500 employees and generated sales of 5.1 billion euros for its fiscal year ended 31 August 2017. On 4 June 2018

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

and Safran announced their 50-50 partnership to design, build and service

auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...

s after regulatory and

antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

clearance in the second half of 2018.Safran

Boeing
/ref> This could threaten the dominance of

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...

and

. In July 2023, Safran agreed to acquire

Raytheon Raytheon is a business unit of RTX Corporation and is a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. Founded in 1922, it merged in 2020 with Unite ...

subsidiary

Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace is an American technology company that is one of the world's largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. It was formed in 2018 from the merger of Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace Systems. Headquartered in Charlotte, ...

's actuation and flight controls business unit in an all-cash deal worth $1.8 billion however the Italian government used its Golden Share in Microtecnica to veto the sale in the belief it would give Safran the commercial ability to sabotage Eurofighter components production, RTX is legally challenging the use of the veto. In September 2024, Safran acquired Preligens, a company that specialises in artificial intelligence for aerospace and defense, for $243.3 million and announced it would become a part of the Safran Electronics & Defense business area.

Group organisation

The Safran group is divided into three main branches:

Aerospace propulsion

The aerospace propulsion branch groups all operations concerning the propulsion of aeroplanes, helicopters, missiles, and launchers, for the civil aviation, military aviation, and space markets: design, production, marketing, testing, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). * Safran Aircraft Engines (formerly '' Snecma Moteurs'') **Commercial & military engines, liquid propulsion for space launchers *

Safran Helicopter Engines Safran Helicopter Engines, previously known as Turbomeca, is a French manufacturer of low- and medium-power gas turbine turboshaft engines for helicopters. The company also produces gas turbine engines for aircraft and missiles, as well as turbi ...

**Turboshaft engines for helicopters **Jet engines for training and support aircraft **Turbines for missiles and drones (Microturbo subsidiary) ** APU (Microturbo subsidiary). Safran provides APU systems since 1962. *** Safran Microturbo *Safran Aero Boosters **Components for aircraft and rocket engines *Safran Transmission Systems **Power transmissions for aircraft engines *

ArianeGroup ArianeGroup (formerly Airbus Safran Launchers) is an aerospace company based in France. A joint venture between Airbus and Safran, the company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris. It consists of three core ...

**Solid rocket motors for launchers, strategic and tactical missiles **Thermostructural composite materials * PowerJet **50-50 joint venture with Russian-owned UEC Saturn to make SaM146 engines At the October 2018 NBAA convention, Safran presented its ENGINeUS

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

range up to designed for

electric aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods, ...

, starting with a one with integrated control electronics, with an energy efficiency of over 94% and a

power-to-weight ratio Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement ...

of 2.5 kW / kg at 2,500 rpm and of torque, for a weight with the controller, without. Flight-testing may happen in 2019 or 2020.

Other subsidiaries

*Safran Test Cells, Inc. *Smartec * SMA Engines *Snecma Services Brussels *Snecma Suzhou *Snecma Xinyi Airfoil Castings

Aircraft Equipment, Defense and Aerosystems

Electric Green Taxiing System - Messier-Bugatti-Dowty Safran LeBourget2013 F-HGNT 2193

The aircraft equipment branch groups all design, production, sales, and support operations for systems and equipment used by civil and military airplanes and helicopters. * Safran Landing Systems **Landing gear design, manufacture, and support **Wheels and carbon brakes for mainline commercial jets **Braking control and hydraulic systems *Safran Nacelles **Commercial airplane engine

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a streamlined container for aircraft parts such as Aircraft engine, engines, fuel or equipment. When attached entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached with a Hardpoint#Pylon, pylo ...

s and

thrust reverser Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an aircraft engine's thrust for it to act against the forward travel of the aircraft, providing deceleration. Thrust reverser systems are featured on many jet aircraft to ...

s *Safran Electrical & Power **Aircraft wiring and power distribution * Safran Electronics & Defense **Technologies and services in optronics, avionics, electronics and safety-critical software *Safran Aerosystems **Equipment and systems in fluid management and security *Safran Engineering Services **Engineering and consulting company

Other subsidiaries

*SLCA *Sofrance *Technofan Inc. * OEMServices * Sagem Avionics * Vectronix * IdentoGO

Aircraft Interiors

*Safran Cabin **Cabin interiors * Safran Seats **Passenger and technical seats *Safran Passenger Solutions **Cabin equipment and solutions focused on passenger comfort

Corporate affairs

Shareholder profile

Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

: 81.3% * French state: 11.2% *

Employees Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

: 7.4% * Treasury shares: 0.1%

References

External links

* {{authority control

Safran Safran S.A. () is a French Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace, defence industry, defence and computer security, security corporation headquartered in Paris. It designs, develops and manufactures both commercial and military airc ...

Aerospace companies of France Manufacturing companies established in 2005 Defence companies of France French companies established in 2005 2005 mergers and acquisitions French brands CAC 40 Companies listed on Euronext Paris Multinational companies headquartered in France Companies in the Euro Stoxx 50 Government-owned companies of France

Name

History

Origins

Safran Group

Group organisation

Aerospace propulsion

Other subsidiaries

Aircraft Equipment, Defense and Aerosystems

Other subsidiaries

Aircraft Interiors

Corporate affairs

Shareholder profile

See also

References

External links