16 May 2006. New company Diehl Aerospace strengthens strategic partnership with Thales Diehl and Thales have enhanced their strategic partnership by agreeing to merge the companies Diehl Luftfahrt Elektronik GmbH and Diehl Avionik GmbH, of which Thales already holds a 49 percent share, in the new company Diehl Aerospace GmbH. Thales reinforces its cooperation with Diehl and holds a 49 percent share in the new company Diehl Aeronpace. It has about 1200 employees at facilities in Frankfurt a.M., Nürnberg, Rostock, Sterret (USA) and Überlingen achieving sales of €190m. By combining aerospace activities, a strong global partner of aviation industry emerges carrying on the long tradition of both system suppliers of commercial and military aviation. The focus lies in avionic systems for the cockpit as well as flight and engine control. The wide-body aircraft Airbus A380 will be equipped with a new Door Management System enabling automatic opening and closing of the passenger doors for the first time. As the market leader, Diehl Aerospace supplies innovative lighting for the aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, e.g. for the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 as well as for regional jets.
17 May 06. Thales expands its partnership with Russia. Signature of an agreement for the full avionics systems of the civil MI helicopter. Thales’ aerospace activities, ZAO Transas and Mil Moscow helicopter plant JSC have today signed an agreement to design and develop full avionics systems for the new Russian medium multipurpose helicopter, MI38. The development of this new generation helicopter is included as a priority in the Russian Federal program of civil aviation developments for 2002 – 2015. To this program, Thales will bring its expertise in the fields of helicopter avionics (Tiger, NH90, Sikorsky S76D…) and electrical power generation, as well as in the international certification process. The delivery of the first MI38 is due in 2008. After successful cooperation on the Sukhoi 30, MiG AT and the Sukhoi RRJ , this agreement represents a further step in Thales’ long term partnerships with the Russian aerospace industry.