Great possibilities for Danish fighter jet contractors

In relation to this the European company Airbus is currently touring the country to sign MoUs with a number of Danish companies, if Eurofighter Typhoon is selected as Denmark’s new fighter jet. 

“This week and next week alone, we are signing MoUs with ten Danish companies which will be delivering parts and maintenance of the new Danish fighter jets”, says Uli Fingerle, who is Campaign Director for Airbus Defence and Space in Denmark.
One of these ten companies is the logistics company Satair Group, which today is signing a MoU with Airbus Defence & Space. Satair Group serves from its headquarters in Copenhagen and Hamburg more than two hundred airline companies, and maintenance shops all over the world.
“Our role is to ensure the shortest possible distance between users and suppliers. If a spare part is missing in Singapore, we must be on our feet to get it shipped out immediately,“ says Satair Group CEO Mikkel Bardram.

The relationship between Airbus and Satair Group isn’t restricted to the Danish fighter jet competition. Airbus invested in Satair in 2011, and already in 2014 they integrated more than 600 employees, normally working with Airbus, into Satair Group which was founded 1 January 2014.
Satair Group is now an integral part of Airbus’ operation but working as an independent subsidiary.
“Initially, when approached by a giant like Airbus, there was some anxiety, that the Goliath would completely overtake the minor. That didn’t happen in our case. On the contrary, we increased our staff from approximately 400 in 2011 to more than 1,100 employees worldwide today. And our ability to service other aircraft platforms like Boeing is not affected in any way”, says Mikkel Bardram, CEO of Satair Group.
“In short, we experienced, that Airbus put their money and effort where their mouth is”, says Mikkel Bardram.

Satair Group supplies spare parts and services for aircraft all over the world. With a unique distribution network, Satair Group sees potential to develop further within both the commercial and the military markets and, through this, to continue the growth of the aerospace industry in Denmark.

New knowledge for the long term

In the capital region Airbus has also signed a MoU on future collaboration with the company Flatirons Solutions based on its CORENA Suite software. Uli Fingerle says that for them, as well as the other Danish companies which produce and maintain aircraft and spare parts and who would be a part of the team of suppliers to the Eurofighter Typhoon, two things in particular make these agreements attractive: a transfer of knowledge, they wouldn’t have experienced otherwise, and the perspective of creating new Danish jobs for the long term.
As Benny Graff Mortensen from the company IFAD at Funen puts it: “This is pretty huge. We can employ 15 new colleagues for a period of at least 30 years”.
IFAD develops, installs and maintains simulators for both ships, helicopters and possibly now also for the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The prospect of completely new high-tech knowledge is crucial at the company Danish Aerotech at Karup Airbase.
“This agreement will mean a great deal to us if Airbus Defence and Space delivers Denmark’s future fighter jets. It will in part secure our company and Danish jobs for a period of 30-40 years, but we will also get new knowledge, which will ensure that we can develop our competencies and our market – especially in Europe”, says Jan Jørgensen, who is the CEO of Danish Aerotech.
The collaboration with Airbus is at the same time a ticket to a potential collaboration with one of the world’s biggest companies within commercial aerospace, with a backlog of more than 6,000 aircraft.
“If we get the option of being involved in the maintenance of a high-tech fighter jet, we will at the same time have a much easier time attracting and keeping skilled labour in Denmark. And we get an expertise in collaborating with Airbus, which is a giant within production of aircraft, militarily, but definitely also commercially. And thus potentially we gain access to an enormous market”, says Jan Jørgensen, Danish Aerotech.
If Denmark decides to purchase the Eurofighter Typhoon, Airbus estimates that the order itself will lead to purchasing in Denmark amounting to approximately 20 billion DKK.

“But besides this we expect that deliveries to our commercial division can amount to another 10 billion DKK”, says Uli Fingerle, Campaign Director for Airbus Defence and Space in Denmark.
In total Airbus is expected to create 7,000 new Danish jobs, if Denmark selects the Eurofighter Typhoon as its future fighter jet.

About Airbus Defence and Space

Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus Group formed by combining the business activities of Cassidian, Astrium and Airbus Military. The new division is Europe's number one defence and space enterprise, the second largest space business worldwide and among the top ten global defence enterprises. It employs more than 38,000 employees generating revenues of approximately €13 billion per year.

• Eurofighter Typhoon facts
• Eurofighter Typhoon is among the three remaining candidates in the competition for becoming the next Danish fighter jet.
• Eurofighter Typhoon is produced in Europe.
• Currently 400 Eurofighter Typhoons are in operation in Germany, Spain, Italy and Great Britain among others.
• The aircraft is a twin-engine fighter jet with a top speed of 2200 kilometres/hour and a maximum altitude of 65,000 feet.
• It can be fitted with both missiles and bombs.
• It cannot carry nuclear bombs.

Contacts for the media

Kieran Daly: +34 689 66 96 61 kieran.daly.external@airbus.com
Merete Arentoft +45 25 57 21 13 merete.a@adviceas.dk