Airbus Group

Nuclear Weapon Producers

Airbus is the prime contractor for nuclear armed missiles used in the French nuclear arsenal through its participation in ArianeGroup and MBDA.

Nuclear Weapons |  Investments 

Company Profile

Airbus is headquartered in the Netherlands but has its main production facilities in Germany, France and Spain.[i] It is involved in the commercial aircraft, helicopter, defence and space sectors.[ii] The company is partially state-owned by France (11%), Germany (11%) and Spain (4%), with the rest of its shares held by the public.[iii] Airbus is the prime contractor for nuclear armed missiles for the French nuclear arsenal through its participation in ArianeGroup and MBDA. ArianeGroup is a joint venture, equally owned by Airbus and French company Safran[iv], and MBDA is a joint venture between BAE Systems (37.5%), Airbus (37.5%) and Leonardo (25%).[v] For the year ending 31 December 2025, Airbus Group generated revenues of € 73.4 billion.[vi]

[i] Airbus in Europe (no date) | AIRBUS. Available at: https://www.airbus.com/en/our-worldwide-presence/airbus-in-europe (Accessed: 18 October 2024).

[ii] About us (no date) | Airbus. Available at: About us | Airbus (Accessed: 20 August 2025).

[iii] ‘Innovation in Action: Airbus Annual Report 2024’, Airbus (2025), p. 20. Available at: Airbus Annual Report 2024.

[iv] Governance (no date) | ArianeGroup. Available at: Governance – ArianeGroup (Accessed: 20 August 2025).

[v] About Us (no date) | MBDA Systems. Available at: https://www.mbda-systems.com/about-us/ (Accessed: 20 August 2025); DSTA and MBDA deepen partnership to advance counter unmanned aerial systems capabilities. MBDA, 6 May 2025. Available at: DSTA and MBDA deepen Partnership to advance Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems Capabilities | MBDA.

[vi] Airbus reports Full-Year (FY) 2025 results. Airbus, 19 February 2026. Available at: Airbus reports Full-Year (FY) 2025 results | Airbus.

Contact information

Airbus Group SE

PO Box 32008

2303 DA Leiden

The Netherlands

Website: https://www.airbus.com/en

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/airbus-defence-and-space

 

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Nuclear weapons

MBDA France, in which Airbus has a 37.5% stake, is the prime contractor for the ASMPA medium-range air-to-ground nuclear armed cruise missile for the French nuclear arsenal.[i] MBDA is also contracted by the French government for work related to development of the ASMPA-successor, the ASN4G.[ii] The new weapon is scheduled to enter service in 2035 with a range of 1,000km, double that of the ASMPA, and will incorporate new hypersonic technologies.[iii]

MBDA subsidiary Roxel develops and manufactures solid propulsion systems and other items for rockets and tactical and cruise missiles, including the ASMPA and the M51 submarine-launched ballistic missiles.[iv]

Airbus, as part of ArianeGroup, is the main contractor for the M51 missiles.[v] ArianeGroup states that its role in the M51 production covers “the programme’s entire lifecycle, including upstream studies, development, production and through-life support and maintaining operational readiness, to dismantling the systems when they are decommissioned“.[vi] The third version of the ballistic missile, the M51.3, entered into operational service in October 2025.[vii] Through ArianeGroup, Airbus is also contracted to design and produce the fourth version, the M51.4.[viii]

[i]  ‘Projet Annuel de Performances. Annexe au projet de loi de finances pour 2026, Budget général, Mission ministérielle, Défense, RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE (2025), pp. 318-319. Available at : https://www.budget.gouv.fr/documentation/file-download/30673.

[ii] Ibid, p. 321.

[iii] Hans M. Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns and Mackenzie Knight-Boyle, ‘French Nuclear Weapons, 2025’, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 81:4, 313-326, p. 322. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.2025.2524251; ‘France to Expand Nuclear Deterrent Amidst Europe’s Uncertain Future’, The Avionist, 20 March 2025. Available at: France to Expand Nuclear Deterrent Amidst Europe’s Uncertain Future - The Aviationist

[iv] MBDA makes Roxel a wholly-owned subsidiary. MBDA, 6 January 2025. Available at: MBDA makes Roxel a wholly-owned subsidiary | MBDA; Market segments (no date) | Roxel. Available at: Roxel : produits, segments de marché (propulsion militaire, aéronautique...) et services (Accessed: 2 March 2026).

[v] ‘Projet Annuel de Performances. Annexe au projet de loi de finances pour 2026, Budget général, Mission ministérielle, Défense, RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE (2025), p. 315. Available at : https://www.budget.gouv.fr/documentation/file-download/30673.

[vi] M51 (no date) | ArianeGroup. Available at: https://www.ariane.group/en/defense/m51/ (Accessed: 20 August 2025).

[vii] ArianeGroup to bring the M51.3 into service for the French Defence Procurement and Technology Agency. ArianeGroup, 28 October 2025. Available at: ArianeGroup to bring the M51.3 into service for the French DGA.

[viii] ArianeGroup will develop the M51.4 strategic missile for the French Defence Procurement and Technology Agency. ArianeGroup, 12 September 2025. Available at: ArianeGroup develops M51.4 missile for French deterrence.

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Last updated: 2026-06-08 14:19:30

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