Aérospatiale (French: [aeʁɔspasjal]) was a French state-owned aerospace and defence corporation. It was founded in 1970 as Société Nationale Industrielle Aérospatiale (lit. 'National Aerospace Industrial Company') through the merger of three state-owned aerospace firms: Nord Aviation, SEREB, and Sud Aviation. During its existence, Aérospatiale was one of the world's largest aerospace companies. It was Europe's biggest general aeronautics manufacturer and its leading exporter in the industry. Its products included civilian and military aircraft and helicopters, launch vehicles and satellites, as well as weapon systems ranging from intercontinental ballistic missiles to portable anti-tank guided missiles. The company was also a key participant in several high-profile multinational programs, including the Concorde supersonic airliner, the Ariane series of launch vehicles, and the Airbus A300, the world’s first twin-engined wide-body airliner. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the ensuing "peace dividend", much of the European aerospace and defence industry began to consolidate. Aérospatiale's breakup was accelerated by the French government's efforts to privatize state-owned companies. In 1992, Aérospatiale and Germany's DASA each spun off their helicopter divisions, which merged to form the Eurocopter Group—later renamed Airbus Helicopters—with the two parent companies holding 70% and 30% stakes, respectively. In 1999, Aérospatiale’s satellite manufacturing division was acquired by Alcatel to form Alcatel Space, later renamed Thales Alenia Space. In October 1999, Aérospatiale’s remaining assets were merged with the aerospace, defence, and telecommunications division of the French conglomerate Matra. The merger both consolidated the French aerospace sector and reduced the French government’s shareholding in preparation for a larger consolidation. The merged company, Aérospatiale-Matra, then joined with Germany’s DASA and Spain's CASA on 10 July 2000 to form the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), which was later rebranded Airbus. Source: Wikipedia (en)