Safran announces the acquisition of flight control and actuation activities from Collins Aerospace

Safran announced the closing of the acquisition of Collins Aerospace’s flight control and actuation activities which are mission critical systems for commercial and military aircraft, and helicopters. With this transaction, Safran becomes a global leader in flight control and actuation systems and is well-positioned for next-generation platforms. The acquired business employs approximately 4,000 people across eight main facilities in Europe (UK, Italy and France) and Asia, and has activities in Poland, USA and India. Flight control and actuation systems from Collins are integrated on board 180 platforms, and generated revenue of around $1.55 billion in 2024 and an EBITDA of about $130 million. This business will be consolidated from August 1st, 2025 within Safran Electronics & Defense.

Olivier Andriès, CEO of Safran commented: “This acquisition offers a unique opportunity to solidify our position in mission critical flight control and actuation functions and create a global leader in this domain. It will enable us to deliver a comprehensive offering to our customers and position us extremely well for next-generation aircraft. This business fits perfectly with both our product portfolio and our DNA with a high technology content, recurring aftermarket sales and profitable growth.”

In order to meet the decarbonization ambition of the industry, the next generation of single-aisle aircraft will have disruptive architecture features and be increasingly electrified requiring a breakthrough in flight control and actuation systems. The combination of Collins’ best-in-class hydraulic and mechanical actuation capabilities with Safran’s strong know-how in electro-mechanical actuation and electronics will enable the Group to meet this challenge. 

This acquisition also brings added complementarity for Safran in helicopter and nacelle actuation where the Group is already among the global leaders. In the defense segment, Safran is enhancing its offer in actuation and flight control solutions for military aircraft and missiles, reinforcing the growth of its sovereignty activities.

The key strategic benefits of this acquisition for Safran include:

• A highly complementary product offering, positioning Safran as a sector leader with an expanded portfolio in flight control and actuation systems,
• A well-balanced exposure across commercial, military, and helicopter segments with strong positions on both mature and growing platforms,
• Complementary expertise in hydraulic and electromechanical actuation, strengthening Safran’s capability to support the next-generation aircraft,
• Attractive recurring revenue potential from service activities, representing approximately 40% of turnover.
• Compelling value creation supported by short-medium term cost synergy potential with further upside from commercial synergies

The enterprise value of the acquired business amounts to $1.8 billion, with an accretive impact on Safran earnings per share from year one. The transaction is expected to generate approximately $50 million of annual pre-tax run-rate cost synergies by 2028. In order to respect the regulatory requirements, Safran has simultaneously completed the sale of its North American electro-mechanical actuation business, with approximately $65M of sales in 2024, to Woodward, Inc.