Airbus

Europe
NATO seeks imagery for its Aquila virtual constellation project

To make up for its satellite intelligence shortfall and acquire stronger data-sharing and fusion capacities, NATO is launching the virtual constellation Aquila. Discussions are underway with European and US companies.

The Tech Telegraph
Michael Morgan moves to NightDragon, Loft Orbital picks Frédéric Cristini, Maritime surveillance aircraft for Warsaw

From SIGINT to GEOINT and OSINT and a dose of cyber, each Thursday, we report on events both big and small that matter in the community of technical intelligence providers.

San FranciscoFBI veteran Michael Morgan joins NightDragon

ToulouseLoft Orbital picks Frédéric Cristini

WarsawPolish border guards renew maritime surveillance aircraft

Qatar
Western partners pull away from Dahra in wake of espionage scandal

Dahra Global's defence partners and the companies it distributes are trying to distance themselves from the Omani defence reseller. It has been accused of being used by Israeli intelligence to garner information on a top secret programme in Qatar, revealed at the time by Intelligence Online.

Spotlight | Australia, United States
Burdeshaw, AECOM, Civic Partnership and CMAX maintain US presence in Australian defence sector

US defence manufacturers looking to cash in on Australian defence contracts can count on the support of an extensive local network of American advisers and lobbyists in the naval, air, cyber and space sectors.

France
French intelligence services' spending surges before budget boost

The French government has earmarked more funding for intelligence over the next five years, but France's intelligence services, particularly the DGSE, have already exceeded their 2022 provisional budgets.

Spotlight | France, Saudi Arabia
Airbus keeps low profile in Saudi mission-critical communications bid

Now the leading French mission-critical communications provider, Airbus is seeking to earn a share of the Saudi defence ministry's mission-critical communications contract. But delays on France's RRF radio network of the future project have the firm treading very cautiously in Riyadh.

Malaysia
Leonardo and Airbus wage battle for Malaysian skies

Competition for the helicopter market in Malaysia is ramping up with the arrival of a local newcomer backed by Airbus, which is upsetting the monopoly previously enjoyed by Leonardo's local partner, Weststar.

Spotlight | Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom
On the run from Mohammed bin Salman, King Abdullah's key arms broker finds refuge in Beirut

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's investigators are still on the hunt for Salah Fustok, the main negotiator of arms contracts with the National Guard under King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. The fugitive agent holds secrets about many Western defence companies' business dealings in Saudi Arabia.

Poland, United States
Polish GEOINT firm SATIM eyes US market

Mindful of a growing need to monitor vast contested maritime areas that are conducive to clandestine actions, SATIM is trying to sell its synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image analysis tools in the US and Europe.

France, Vietnam
Convicted Vietnamese defence agent Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan's French connections

Wanted on corruption charges, the former CEO of AIC Group, Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, who served as a go-between for Western defence companies in Vietnam, is now on the run in China. Before that, she built an extensive network of contacts in France's political and defence circles.

France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, United States
Airbus looks for new approach in Saudi Arabia as Boeing returns to kingdom's civil aviation market

Following the award of a massive new aircraft contract to Boeing by the Saudi authorities, the European aircraft manufacturer is looking to reorganise its sales strategy to ensure it keeps its place in the kingdom's aviation sector.

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette
KCS plays football, Straife turns to the Caucasus, Gourdault-Montagne stays in Beijing

Appointments, financial results, new contracts, in London, Houston, Paris and Beijing... every week, we report on the events big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community.

London KCS gets in the game with new football investigations' unit

Houston Straife poaches Croissant as it prospects in Caucasus

Paris/Beijing Diplomat consultant Gourdault-Montagne extends China stay

France, Vietnam
Leonardo, Bell and Russian influence fail to deter Airbus Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters is not letting competition from Leonardo and Bell discourage it from the Vietnamese market. But despite having long-standing relations with potential clients in the country, including the Minister of Public Security, a tug-of-war between pro-Russian and pro-West factions of the Minister of Defence is taking a toll on those ambitions.

Kazakhstan
New French, German and US trio advise Kazakh national holding company

The national holding company Baiterek is weighing in to help Kazakhstan's negotiations to increase commodities exports to Western countries, assisted by a trio of well-connected new consultants from Germany, France and the United States.

United States, Vietnam
Bell flies full speed ahead on helicopter sales in Vietnam

US manufacturer Bell was part of a large business delegation that travelled to Hanoi in March. It hopes to sell helicopters to the Ministry of Public Safety in Hanoi. For the first time since the two countries were at war, Vietnamese helicopter pilots are being trained on US soil.

France, Middle East
Gulf nations show little interest in France's special forces seminar

SOFINS, the trade fair designed to put French defence industry players in touch with their special forces and intelligence clients, is traditionally the go-to place to impress foreign delegations. However, this year's event failed to garner as much attention from the Gulf as its organisers would have liked.