30 to 40 minutes south of Paris, France, lies a small city called Massy. It is a transportation hub with Orly Airport and the high-speed train station, TGV, connecting various parts of France. This can be compared to Gwangmyeong or Gimpo in Korea. Recently, innovative corporations from France have been establishing their bases here, including Safran, one of the country's leading aerospace and defense corporations.
On the 1st, I visited the Safran E&D (Safran Electronics & Defense) research center in Massy. Safran E&D is the company responsible for electronics and defense within the Safran Group. They have research and production facilities throughout France, with the Massy research center being central to their operations. Following Lucie Bâton, Director for Public Relations of the Safran Group, to the showroom, I found major products in aerospace and defense displayed there.
Rather than manufacturing finished products directly, the Safran Group focuses on producing various parts and components, supplying them to manufacturers of finished products. Many of the parts in Airbus aircraft pass through Safran's hands. Safran's key components are also included in fighter jets, destroyers, and satellites being produced domestically.
Accompanying me was Baek Yoon-hyung, Vice President of Safran Korea, who said, “In commercial aircraft, Safran manufactures everything from key electronic components in the cockpit to passenger seats, bathrooms, and kitchens,” explaining that “not only government agencies like the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) but also corporations such as Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Hanwha Ocean, HYUNDAI WIA, Korean Air, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are customers of Safran.”
Since Safran manufactures various products across the aerospace, space, and defense sectors, it took one hour to explore the Safran showroom. I was able to see advanced defense products such as actuators used in various aircraft, the Felin future soldier system developed by Safran, and non-penetrating submarine periscopes all in one place.
Bruno Machédi, who is responsible for innovation in Safran's electronics sector, noted, “The demand for new weapons and technologies has increased due to the war between Russia and Ukraine,” adding, “Recently, inertial navigation systems that are free from jamming, unlike GPS (Global Positioning System), have been gaining attention.”
Last year, the Safran Group achieved sales of 27.3 billion euros (approximately 44 trillion won). They employ 100,000 people in 30 countries worldwide, and their annual research and development (R&D) expense alone amounts to 1.98 billion euros (about 3.2 trillion won).
While they have now become a global defense corporation, just 20 years ago, the Safran Group did not exist. The precursor to Safran E&D was SAGEM, a leading information and communication technology (ICT) corporation in France. The Safran Group was formed in 2005 through the merger of SAGEM and the aircraft engine specialist SNECMA.
Founded in 1925, SAGEM initially manufactured machine tools. After World War II, it began producing teleprinters and inertial navigation systems, leading to significant growth, and in the 1990s, it expanded into mobile phone manufacturing. Until 2003, two-thirds of the company's revenue came from the telecommunications sector, putting it on par with Motorola.
The company underwent changes as the founding family stepped back from management. The French government announced the merger of the state-owned SNECMA and SAGEM at the end of 2004. The plan was to nurture a global defense corporation by merging SAGEM, strong in the communications and electronics sector, with SNECMA, which had strengths in the aircraft engine sector.
In May 2005, SAGEM was rebranded as Safran. Lucie Bâton, Director, explained, “As the market was reshaped by smartphones, SAGEM needed to adapt its business,” adding that “(after the merger) they reorganized their business structure to focus on aviation and defense, enhancing efficiency.”
The launch of the Safran Group was successful. With overseas clients accounting for 59% of the business, it has emerged as a multinational defense corporation, maintaining a stable ratio between military and civilian clients at 65% and 35%, respectively.
Recently, they have been increasing investments in the space and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors. Last year, they acquired the startup Preligens, which showcased technology integrating AI into the defense sector, for 220 million euros. A Safran representative stated, “Safran utilizes AI for real-time target detection and classification, multi-sensor data integration, and geospatial processing,” emphasizing that “this significantly increased the accuracy and speed of combat capability and information analysis.”
(This article was produced with the support of the Korea Press Foundation's 2025 KPF Diploma Aerospace Program.)