Bundeskartellamt approves creation of joint venture between Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, German FCMS GbR and MBDA Deutschland GmbH

The Bundeskartellamt has today cleared the creation of a joint venture between Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, German FCMS GbR and MBDA Deutschland GmbH. For this purpose, the three companies will each acquire one third of the shares in a civil law partnership (Konsortial GbR).

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt: “The creation of the joint venture does not raise any competition concerns. The joint project is a research and development cooperation set up by companies with differing competencies, which is aimed at innovative and future markets. It was therefore possible to clear the project swiftly.”

Airbus Defence and Space is a member of the Airbus Group and active in the areas defence, security and secure space-based applications. German FCMS is a joint venture between four German defence and technology companies, namely Diehl, ESG, Hensoldt and Rohde & Schwarz. The creation of German FCMS was assessed and cleared by the Bundeskartellamt in 2020. FCMS develops networked sensor and effector solutions as well as drone systems and cross-platform sensors and effectors for flying unmanned systems. MBDA Deutschland is a subsidiary of MBDA S.A.S. and together with TDW Gesellschaft für verteidigungstechnische Wirksysteme mbH, Bayern-Chemie Gesellschaft für flugchemische Antriebe mbH and other special purpose entities forms MBDA Deutschland. The shareholders of the MBDA Group are the Airbus Group, BAE Systems and the Italian company Leonardo.

As part of the German/French/Spanish initiative for the development of the combat system of systems “Future Combat Air System” (“FCAS”), Airbus Defence and Space, German FCMS and MBDA Deutschland are working together in the context of the so-called “National R&T Project”. For this purpose, the civil law partnership (Konsortial GbR) is to be established as a single contractual partner and point of contact for contracting entities.

FCAS is a programme for the development of a system consisting of a manned sixth-generation multirole combat aircraft (New Generation Fighter), unmanned remote carrier vehicles and new weapon and communication systems. This National R&T Project is intended to carry out research on various key areas relating to the planned new air combat system. The National R&T Project is therefore implemented in the context of FCAS and the closely related, subordinate New Generation Weapon System Project (“NGWS”).

The cooperation between the parent companies is primarily intended to ensure that the individual research results are compatible for use in the international FCAS and NGWS context