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The Sonaca Group, short for Societe Nationale de Construction Aerospatiale ("National Aerospace Construction Company") is a Belgian aerospace company. The company has subsidiaries in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, China, Romania and Sri Lanka. In 2018, the Sonaca Group's operating revenues amounted to $900 million. The Sonaca Group employs 4,630 workers as of 2018. 92.604% of the company is owned by SRIW S.A. (French: Société Régionale d'Investissement de Wallonie), 7.393% is owned by SFPI S.A. (French: Société Fédérale de Participations et d'Investissement) and 0.003% is owned by SABCA S.A.
The primary activities of the Sonaca Group are the design and construction of the movable elements of wings (slats and flaps) and complex structural components for civil and military aircraft. In addition, the Sonaca Group has continuously developed its design and construction activities in space structures.
History
SEGA
Sonaca is an heir of the Belgian company Avions Fairey, but before that was SEGA (French: Société Générale d'Entreprises Aéronautiques). SEGA was created on 25 June 1920, witnessed by the notary Maillard, by a group of local notables: Fernand Loescher, Victor Dupuis, Alphonse and Désiré Jaumin, André Gobbe, Marius Loiselet and Arille Carlier.
The first activity developed by SEGA was a flying school launched by Commander Fernand Jacquet, a 7-victory WWI-ace and a leading figure in military aviation, a position from which he resigned in January 1921. In July 1921, Jacquet obtained a major contract for training military pilots, which for nearly ten years was the primary activity of SEGA. The company gradually acquired all the land that constituted the embryo of what is now the Gosselies Aerodrome. In the 1920s, SEGA carried out repairs, produced under license 5 AVIA BH-21, as well as prototypes of the HB-1 based on plans by Henri Bulté.
Avions Fairey
In 1931, when Belgium bought 43 Fairey Firefly IIM aircraft, the contract stipulated that part of the equipment (33) had to be manufactured in Belgium. Faced with SABCA's refusal to produce these licensed aircraft, Fairey UK (Hayes) decided to create a subsidiary under the direction of Ernest-Oscar Tips, Société Belge des Avions Fairey, using SEGA's aerodrome, facilities, and qualified staff. During the first 8 years of activity, the company produced 250 aircraft.[1]
Then, Avions Fairey produced the Fairey Fox, a light bomber derived from the Firefly. The Tipsy range of light aircraft was developed and built at Fairey factories under the impetus of Ernest O.Tips. Another development of Fairey factories was the "Phantom", an improved version of the Firefly. This biplane was known for its elegant lines but was technologically outdated. It was not commercially successful.
In order to urgently rearm military aeronautics at the dawn of the Second World War, in parallel with the order for the British-made Hawker Hurricane Mk1, an order for 80 aircraft to be manufactured in Belgium was placed. Only two planes could still be delivered before the conflict broke out. At dawn on May 10, 1940, the factory was seriously damaged by a German bombardment.[2] SEGA was inactive until 1946, when the maintenance activity of the Belgian Air Force aircraft and some civil aviation administration aircraft resumed.
From 1950 onwards, the factory began to produce the Meteor F.8 for the Belgian and Dutch air forces. From 1953 to 1958, it then produced the fuselages of the Hawker Hunters of the same air forces. In 1957, it manufactured the Tipsy Nipper, a cheap single-engine single-seater equipped with a 25 HP VW motor. From 1957 to 1963, SEGA carried out the maintenance of the Belgian Air Force's F-84F. When six European countries chose to acquire F-104G combat planes, "Avions Fairey" and SABCA joined forces to produce them. The Belgian F-104G aircraft were produced between January 1962 and June 1965. Between 1964 and 1971, "Avions Fairey" also performed some maintenance work on the Luftwaffe's F-104G aircraft.
From May 1960, based on instructions from the British government to rationalise its aeronautical industry, Fairey UK had completely divested itself of the sector by selling its aeronautical activities to Westland. In 1968, SEGA was incorporated into the capital of Fairey S.A. In 1972, the English company "Fairey Aviation" bought Britten-Norman, which was virtually bankrupt despite its interesting twin-engine BN-2 Islander utility plane. The idea was to boost sales and production at the Gosselies plant, which was sorely lacking in a work plan. Initially, the Islander was manufactured in Romania and completed in Gosselies, where they were then produced entirely, including the Trislander development. The Belgian army acquired 12 Islanders in 1976.
Sonaca
The UK subsidiary had financial difficulties, which led to its liquidation on 11 October 1977 and which spread to its Belgian subsidiary. However, Belgium had chosen the F-16 as its multi-role aircraft, and its industry was already well-engaged in a multinational partnership (Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway) for the production of the F-16 in Europe. The Belgian government decides to buy the company to ensure the sustainability of its participation in this contract.[3] Thus, Avions Fairey, whose activity had never been interrupted after its request for a composition on 30 September 1977, officially took over under the name of Sonaca - an acronym for “Société Nationale de Construction Aérospatiale” - as from 1 June 1978. In this major contract, Sonaca manufactured the rear fuselage and assembled the F16.[4]
Sonaca Group
From the 2000s onward, Sonaca has begun its expansion as the Sonaca Group.
In the 2000s, Sonaca opened a subsidiary near Embraer in Brazil called Sobraer. It is located in São José dos Campos and mainly manufactures fuselage parts. Since 2004, two more factories have been involved in supplying small aircraft parts, PESOLA and SOPECAERO. All Brazilian subsidiaries are currently in the process of merging into Sonaca Brasil.
In 2007, Sonaca's Canadian subsidiary received support from the Government of Montreal to invest $17 million in the expansion of its aircraft wing manufacturing and assembly plant.[5] In December 2017, Sonaca's Canadian subsidiary acquired a giant CNC machine for $7.5 million to manufacture giant parts at very high speeds.[6]
In 2010, Sonaca acquired a subsidiary in China, Sinelson. Later, in 2016, it acquired another, Romania, Sonaca Transilvania.
On September 16, 2015, Sonaca created a new subsidiary, Sonaca Aircraft, to develop a new two-seater training and leisure aircraft.[7] On June 19, 2017, Sonaca conducted the first test flight of the Sonaca 200, a prototype two-seater training aircraft scheduled to go into production in the fall. It became the first Belgian-made aircraft since the Tipsy Nipper produced between 1957 and 1961.[8] Sonaca Aircraft will present the final version of the Sonaca 200 in April 2018 at the Friedrichshafen Air Show.[9] One year later, the company will present the Sonaca 200 Trainer pro at the same show.[10] Its assembly site is located on the edge of the Namur-Suarlee Airfield in Temploux.[11]
In 2017, Sonaca acquired LMI Aerospace for €405.5 million. LMI Aerospace employs 2,856 people in three countries: the United States, Mexico and Sri Lanka.[12] The company, although integrated, will continue to be called LMI Aerospace. In addition, it will maintain its headquarters in Missouri.[13]
Production
Military
Between 1979 and 1991, Sonaca assembled 160 F-16 for Belgium and 60 for Denmark. As part of the F-16 program, Sonaca was a supplier to Lockheed Martin for the latest versions of the F-16. A total of 1389 rear fuselages (Aft Fuselage) were delivered, and 222 complete structures (Airframe) were integrated. In the military field, Sonaca is involved in the following projects:
All mobile leading edges and their rails, for all Airbus from the A310 to the latest A350, have been developed and produced by Sonaca as a single source.
Airbus A380: in addition, "Nose Upper Shell" fuselage structure
The company also collaborates with Boeing on various projects
Space
In the space sector, Sonaca's core activity is the development and construction of flight structures, both metallic and composite, including satellite platforms and instruments. Sonaca has been involved in numerous projects over the past 30 years, including the European shuttle Hermes, Atmospheric Re-entry Demonstrator (ARD), GSTP, FESTIP, Crew Rescue Vehicle (CRV-X38), SPOT5, ISS Columbus, Mars Beagle 2, Aladin-Aeolus, Corot, Pléiades, MUSIS, MPCV Tank Bulkhead, MWI and ICI instruments from MetOp SG.[18]
Sinelson: assembly of the leading edges of Airbus A320s assembled on Airbus' final assembly line (FALC) in Tianjin.Closed following coronavirus crisis.
Dassault Aviation SA is a French manufacturer of military aircraft and business jets. It was founded in 1929 by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch or "MB". After World War II, Marcel Bloch changed his name to Marcel Dassault, and the name of the company was changed to Avions Marcel Dassault on 20 January 1947.
SABCA is a Belgian aerospace company. Its main sectors of activity are civil aviation, space and defence.
SNCASO was a French aircraft manufacturer.
Nord-Aviation was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. The bulk of its facilities were based on the site of Bourges airport, in the département of Cher, in central France.
SOCATA was a French producer of general aviation aircraft propelled by piston engines and turboprops, including business planes, small personal or training aircraft, as well as the production of aircraft structures for other manufacturers such as Airbus, Dassault, Embraer, Eurocopter and Lockheed Martin. The company had its headquarters, along with much of its production capabilities, located in Tarbes, France.
The Avia BH-21, first flown in 1925, was a robust biplane that served an important role in securing Czechoslovak national security during the period between World War I and World War II. As well as being a competent fighter, it was also an accomplished racer, winning several air races in 1925.
The Savoia-Marchetti S.73 was an Italian three-engine airliner that flew in the 1930s and early 1940s. The aircraft entered service in March 1935 with a production run of 48 aircraft. Four were exported to Belgium for SABENA, while seven others were produced by SABCA. The main customer was the Italian airline Ala Littoria.
Avions Fairey was the Belgian-based subsidiary of the British Fairey Aviation that built aircraft for the Belgian government. It subsequently separated from the UK parent and became SONACA.
The Renard Epervier was a Belgian prototype single-seat all-metal fighter monoplane designed by Alfred Renard at the Societé Anonyme Avions et Moteurs Renard for a government-sponsored design contest in 1928. The Epervier Type 2 was built and flown in 1928, by Belgian aircraft manufacturer Stampe et Vertongen. It carried an armament of two synchronised 7.7mm guns and was lost in September 1928 after failing to recover from a flat spin. A second prototype, the Epervier Type 2bis, introduced revised streamlined fairings for the cantilever mainwheel legs, mainwheel spats and cylinder aft-fairings and was built by SABCA.
The Caproni Ca.335 Maestrale (Mistral) was an Italian single-engined two-seat fighter-bomber/reconnaissance aircraft of the 1930s.
Belairbus is a Belgian aerospace manufacturer. It is a consortium established to allow a number of Belgian companies to participate in the manufacturing of Airbus aircraft while fulfilling Airbus' stipulation that it only deal with one entity in each European country that wants to be a part of the Airbus manufacturing program. It is an associated partner of Airbus, manufacturing parts for the Airbus A320 family, the Airbus A340 and the Airbus A380.
The Société Provençale de Constructions Aéronautiques (SPCA) was a French aircraft manufacturing company, with its head office in Paris and its workshop in La Ciotat near Marseille.
The SABCA S.11 or SABCA S.XI was a prototype Belgian airliner of the 1930s. It was a three-engined high-winged monoplane intended for service in the Belgian Congo, but only a single example was built.
Ernest Oscar Tips was a Belgian aircraft designer, who co-founded the Fairey Aviation Company in 1915 and its Belgian subsidiary Avions Fairey in 1931.
Stelia Aerospace is an aerospace company headquartered in Toulouse, France. It specializes in the design and manufacture of aerostructures, pilot seats and premium class passenger seats, mainly for the commercial aviation sector.
The SABCA Demonty-Poncelet monoplane, Demonty-Poncelet limousine or SABCA-DP was a Belgian light aircraft first flown in 1924. It had two comfortable side-by side seats in a glazed cabin. Though it had competition successes in 1924 and 1925, it did not go into production.
Pierre Taquet, "De la SEGA et Fairey à SONACA, 100 ans de passion aéronautique à Charleroi", in Charleroi 1666-2016: 350 d'histoire des hommes, des techniques et des idées(Actes de colloque, Charleroi, 23 et 24 septembre 2016), Bruxelles, Académie royale de Belgique, coll. "Mémoires de la Classe des Lettres", 2016, 416p., pp.177–196
Pierre Sonveaux, Pierre Taquet, "Sonaca 80 ans de passion aéronautique", Snel, Belgique, Septembre 2011, 143 p.
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