WASHINGTON — Thales will acquire a controlling stake in French maritime drone maker Exail Technologies, company officials announced today, as the French aerospace and defense firm expands its foothold in the undersea warfare arena.
Likewise, Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri announced today an agreement to acquire four underwater technology firms — Next Geosolutions, WSense, Graal Tech and Defcomm — for approximately €600 million ($686.5 million USD).
Thales said it is acquiring 35.5 percent of Exail shares from the Gorgé family. The purchase is slated to close by the end of summer 2027, according to Thales. Raphaël Gorgé is Exail’s chairman and chief executive officer, and the family has been the controlling shareholder of the company.
“With this acquisition, Thales and Exail plan to join forces,” Patrice Caine, chairman and chief executive officer of Thales, said in a statement today. “Together, thanks to our talents and capabilities, we will strengthen our high-technology industrial base and innovation for our world-class defence and civil customers, while reinforcing Europe’s technological sovereignty.”
Once this acquisition closes, Thales said that it will submit a mandatory tender offer to purchase all of the company for approximately €134.00 per share ($153.3 USD), translating to a company value of roughly €3.9 billion ($4.5 billion USD). That acquisition is slated for closing by the beginning of 2028 “at the latest,” according to Thales.
For Fincantieri’s part, the Italian shipbuilder said the companies they are acquiring will funnel into Fincantieri’s underwater technological hub as the firm aims to solidify itself in the underwater domain.
“The acquisitions announced today mark a historic transformation for Fincantieri, that creates an international champion in the Underwater domain, enabled by full integration across the value chain of technologies, capabilities and operational expertise,” Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and managing director of Fincantieri, said in a statement today.
How integrated modeling and simulation accelerates Europe’s defensive edge
Lockheed Martin’s ACES platform delivers a shared virtual battlespace that strengthens readiness, interoperability, and faster decision-making through advanced, integrated modeling and simulation capabilities designed for evolving global threats.
“These acquisitions also allow us to accelerate the execution of our Business Plan, significantly strengthening profitability while expanding our presence in a fast-growing market where the dual-use component is expected to become increasingly important,” Folgiero said.