Airbus 2015 Annual Report Download - page 73

AIRBUS GROUP REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2015 l 41 l
Informationon GroupActivities
Registration Document 2015
1.
1.1 Presentation of the Group
Competitors
The market for military aircraft is dominated by large- and
medium-sized American and European companies capable
of complex system integration. Among the competitive factors
are affordability, technical and management capability, the
ability to develop and implement complex, integrated system
architectures and the ability to provide timely solutions to
customers. In particular special mission aircraft, such as heavy
tankers, are derived from existing aircraft platforms. Adapting
them requires thorough knowledge of the basic airframe, which
generally only the aircraft manufacturer possesses. The skills
necessary for the overall systems integration into the aircraft are
extensive and the number of participants in the world market
is very limited.
The main competitors in military transport and mission aircraft
include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, UAC, Kawasaki, Ilyushin and
AVIC.
Heavy military transport (> 14t payload) has been driven
historically by US policy and budget decisions, and therefore has
been dominated by US manufacturers. The A400M represents
the Group’s entry into this market, at a time when nations
worldwide are expected to begin upgrading and replacing their
existing fleets.
Competitors in the segment of combat aircraft include Boeing,
Dassault, Lockheed Martin, Saab and Sukhoi.
In the Unmanned Aerial Systems market segment, Israeli and
US firms are well established and other European companies
such as BAE Systems, Dassault and Thales compete for new
European projects. The market itself features strong growth with
significant opportunities in Europe and Asia Pacific.
Market Trends
The sale of aircraft is expected to remain sound in the
transport and special mission aircraft segments and even grow
considerably for the heavy transport segment, where the A400M
occupies a unique position leading to a market forecast of 300
within the next 30years.
The Eurofighter has received a declaration of intent for 28units
from Kuwait in 2015, finalisation of the contract is pending. A
number of further sales are expected, prolonging its production
life.
Unmanned Aerial Systems, on the other hand, have a very
promising growth potential. Market structures in this segment
are not clearly set out yet and will see some movement, including
a new European collaborative programme.
After-Sales Services are an important business for Military
Aircraft. Whereas the practice is well established in the area of
combat aircraft, the services business is only just ramping up
in the area of transport and mission aircraft.
Space Systems
Public Sector: Satellites, Space Infrastructure,
Launchers, Deterrence
In the public market for Earth observation, scientific/ exploration
and navigation satellites, competition in Europe is organised on
a national and multinational level, primarily through the European
Space Agency (ESA), the European Commission (EC) and
national space agencies.
Decisions at the latest ESA Ministerial Conferences and
under EC Horizon 2020 paved the way for future European
programmes in which Airbus Defence andSpace does or may
seek to participate. There is also important export demand for
Earth observation systems, for which the company is a leading
provider. The export market is expected to continue growing
over the medium-term.
For military customers, demand for telecommunication and
observation satellites has increased in recent years.
The equipment segment can rely on a stable European market,
with potential growth to come from developing space countries
as well as the US.
The orbital infrastructure segment comprises manned and
unmanned space systems mainly used for space exploration,
i.e. scientific missions. Demand for orbital infrastructure systems
originates solely from publicly funded space agencies, in
particular from ESA, NASA, Roscosmos (Russia) and NASDA
(Japan). Such systems are usually built in cooperation with
international partners. The International Space Station (ISS),
together with related vehicle and equipment development
programmes and services, constitutes the predominant field of
activity in this segment and Airbus Defence andSpace leads as
prime contractor on industrial level the European contribution to
the international Space Station ISS. Airbus Defence andSpace
is involved in NASA’s Orion project as the prime contractor for
the European contribution: the mission-critical service module
of the MPCV (Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle) Orion spacecraft,
which will allow astronauts to fly beyond low Earth orbit for the
first time since the American Apollo programme.
Airbus Defence andSpace is the sole prime contractor for the
Ariane5 launcher system, with responsibility for the delivery
to Arianespace of a complete and fully tested vehicle. It also
supplies all Ariane5 stages, theequipment bay, the flight
software as well as numerous sub-assemblies. With the joint
venture Airbus Safran Launchers, Airbus Defence andSpace
is well positioned for the development and subsequent delivery
of the future Ariane6 launcher, planned for first launch in 2020.
Airbus Defence andSpace is the prime contractor for ballistic
missile systems to the French State. It is responsible for the
development, manufacturing and maintenance of submarine-
launched missiles and related operating systems.
Financial Statements 2015
11 22 33 44 55
QRegistration Document 2015
Annual Report 2015 Financial Statements 2015
Q