Airbus

BAE-EADS Merger Lives Or Dies On French, Germans Learning To Let Go

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Paris and Berlin are in a bind as British-based BAE and Franco-German giant EADs, the parent company of Airbus, seek approval to merge into the world’s largest aerospace company.

If the French and German governments accept the companies’ current merger terms, their ability to influence the new tri-national behemoth will be sharply diminished and they will possess less power to protect their citizens’ job. If they demand greater influence, however, they may scupper the deal altogether, because both investors and the US government are leery of Franco-German meddling. Keep reading →

Published September 28, 2012 at 4:45 PM

BAE-EADS Merger: Big Deal In Europe, Not So Much In US

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Today’s surprise announcement that UK-based arms-maker BAE and Airbus parent EADS are exploring a merger — sort of, maybe, if their respective boards approve an extremely complex deal that creates a so-called “dual-listed” entity in which each partner still issues its own separate stock — sent shockwaves throughout Europe and through the commercial aviation industry worldwide, but its impact on the US defense market is likely to be limited.

“Assuming a deal is completed, we do not see it as an immediate game changer for the U.S. defense sector,” wrote Capital Alpha analysts Bryon Callan and Russell Taylor in an analysis released this afternoon. Keep reading →

Published September 12, 2012 at 6:30 PM

The Farnborough Airshow 2012: Glimpses of the Future

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This year’s Farnborough Airshow is bookmarked by the Euro crisis, and the fates of the Chinese and American economies. On the defense side, there is the end of a land war era for the U.S. and significant uncertainty about how global events will change how countries seek to arm and defend themselves in the years ahead.

Of course, Farnborough, like every major European airshow, will offer the usual Airbus and Boeing show on the civil side. This show is both predictable and fun, because each year one or the other “proves” that they are the greatest commercial airplane builder in the world. Keep reading →

Published June 28, 2012 at 10:50 AM

Should Boeing’s CEO Be Fired?

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It must be summer because list stories are starting to proliferate. Usually, these stories don’t tough the defense world but one came out this morning that does.

The website DailyFinance calls for the replacement of Boeing CEO James McNerney. They are nicely scathing in presenting why McNerney should be dumped. Keep reading →

Published August 8, 2011 at 9:32 AM