AeroTime
• Jean Carmela Lim
Vietjet and Thales signed agreements in Paris covering aircraft maintenance, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity during Vietnam’s state visit to France. The deals broaden the relationship between the Vietnamese airline and the European aerospace and technology group across operational support and digital capabilities.
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Vietjet and Thales signed agreements in Paris covering aircraft maintenance, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity during Vietnam’s state visit to France. The deals broaden the relationship between the Vietnamese airline and the European aerospace and technology group across operational support and digital capabilities.
Thales Alenia Space, the Thales-Leonardo joint venture, has signed a contract with Nigeria’s government-owned NIGCOMSAT Ltd. to develop NigComSat-2A, a geostationary telecommunications satellite intended to expand digital access for underserved communities and support connectivity demand among African households, businesses, public institutions and industries.
France has begun Rafale F5 development with contracts for Dassault Aviation, Thales, MBDA France and Safran, targeting qualification around 2033. In parallel, Pegase 2026 is deploying Rafale fighters alongside A330 MRTT Phénix tankers and A400M transports to Alaska via the Arctic.
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is updating competition policy to favor strategic consolidations, citing the proposed Thales-Airbus-Leonardo space merger as an example. The policy shift could ease regulatory scrutiny of larger European aerospace combinations intended to strengthen the region’s industrial position.
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The Exploration Company won an ESA contract worth up to €760 million for a 2028 Nyx demonstration mission to the ISS, while Eutelsat advanced GEO life extension and IRIS² manufacturing plans. NewOrbit also secured a Q3 2028 launch slot for commercial payloads in very low Earth orbit.
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Eutelsat has awarded Aerospacelab, Thales Alenia Space and Airbus contracts covering all 330 satellites in IRIS2’s LEO component, while authorizing Airbus to begin industrial work on 229 additional OneWeb satellites. The company is also expanding European satellite capabilities through payload and platform partnerships.
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OHB has won a contract worth more than $1 billion to build the MEO satellite layer of Europe’s IRIS² constellation. Separate agreements cover Italy’s PRISMA Second Generation, constellr’s HiVE thermal-imaging platforms and ESA’s FALCON consortium for tracking uncontrolled atmospheric reentries.
Hisdesat selected Airbus and Thales Alenia Space to build SpainSat NG-III, while Eutelsat and Poland advanced cooperation on Europe’s IRIS² secure communications program. Separately, SES agreed to support Starlab’s commercial space station and provide multi-orbit connectivity across LATAM Airlines’ Airbus and Embraer fleet.
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