Aeronautics - Space - Defence

The Bordeaux region is part of the Aerospace Valley Competitiveness Cluster (http://www.aerospace-valley.com/) shared with the Midi Pyrénées (Toulouse) region, and has long been home to some of the world and European leaders in the sector, representing all the different civilian and military activities.

It is asserting its world leadership in luxury business jets, embedded electronics, radars and onboard systems, propulsion, composite materials and also aircraft maintenance and interior fitting.

It can also count on the solid know-how of its cutting-edge research laboratories and a leading training and education system boosted by the creation of Aerocampus (aerocampus-aquitaine.com) the aim of which is to provide a comprehensive programme in aeronautics maintenance, ranging from secondary level through to engineering diplomas and offering initial and vocational training as well as lifelong learning opportunities.

The future of the sector is driven by key investments such as the construction of the Megajoule Laser, development of a research programme into atmospheric re-entry technologies, participation in the A400M and M51, and the organisation of a UAS (unmanned aircraft system) sector around a cluster by the name of AETOS. http://www.aetos-aquitaine.fr/

At the heart of Aerospace Valley is the Bordeaux Aeroparc technology park dedicated to the sector and offering extensive land for development with direct runway access, an airport and airspace for flight tests and a 3,000 hectare test platform for UAS. http://www.bordeaux-aeroparc.com/

• 3^rd region for the armements industry: 10% of the sector workforce in France.
• 600 establishments linked to aeronautics and space, including 26 prime manufacturers and 240 industrial outsourcing companies
• 40,000 direct jobs and €4 billion sales for the Aquitaine region
• 1,000 researchers, teaching staff, engineers and technicians in 42 public research laboratories
• Aeronautics products ranked N°1 for exports and N°2 for imports