SONACA
Encyclopedia
SONACA is a Belgian company which in 1979 received its name after its parent company Fairey
fell into financial heavy in 1977 and the Belgian government felt compelled to take over its Belgian subsidiary Avions Fairey
at Gosselies
. This was done partly to calm social unrest but also to keep the licensed production of the F-16 secure. SONACA is still largely owned by the Walloon Government .
and the Danish Air Force. In 1979 SONACA joined Belairbus
for manufacturing parts for Airbus
.
In 1990, in spite of difficulties SONACA became the partner of the Brazilian Embraer Regional Jet program.
, where people mainly engaged in the manufacture of fuselage parts.
Since 2004, SOMACA in also has two companies in Sao Jose Dos Campos engaged in supplying small aircraft parts, namely PESOLA and SOPEÇAERO.
, Canada, and Wichita, Kansas
, where mainly U.S. wing panels allows for various aircraft manufacturers, including Bombardier
and IAI.
s and the relocation of labor-intensive production to Brazil.
Today, the Belgian branch of SONACA mainly engaged in the manufacture of wing components for Airbus, Dassault, EMBREAR, Grob and Eagle B-Hunter UAV.
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Greater London and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Greater Manchester...
fell into financial heavy in 1977 and the Belgian government felt compelled to take over its Belgian subsidiary Avions Fairey
Avions Fairey
Avions Fairey was the Belgian-based subsidiary of the British Fairey Aviation that built Fairey aircraft designs for the Belgian government.-History:...
at Gosselies
Gosselies
Gosselies is a section of the Belgian town of Charleroi within the Walloon region in the Province of Hainaut. It was a commune of its own before the merger of the communes in 1977. Gosselies is the home for the headquarters of Caterpillar Belgium, and Solar Turbines Europe....
. This was done partly to calm social unrest but also to keep the licensed production of the F-16 secure. SONACA is still largely owned by the Walloon Government .
History
From 1979 to 1991 SONACA produced 220 F-16 for both the BelgianBelgian Air Force
The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally founded in 1909, it is one of the world's first air forces, and was a pioneer in aerial combat during the First World War...
and the Danish Air Force. In 1979 SONACA joined Belairbus
Belairbus
Belairbus is a Belgian aerospace manufacturer. It is a consortium established to allow a number of Belgian companies to participate in the manufacturing of Airbus aircraft while fulfilling Airbus' stipulation that it only deal with one entity in each European country that wants to be a part of the...
for manufacturing parts for Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
.
In 1990, in spite of difficulties SONACA became the partner of the Brazilian Embraer Regional Jet program.
Brazil
In 2000 SONACA opened a subsidiary near EMBRAER called SOBRAER in Brazil's Sao Jose Dos CamposSão José dos Campos
São José dos Campos is a municipality and a major city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil and one of the most important industrial and research centers in Latin America. It is located in the Paraíba Valley, between the two most active production and consumption regions in the country, São Paulo ...
, where people mainly engaged in the manufacture of fuselage parts.
Since 2004, SOMACA in also has two companies in Sao Jose Dos Campos engaged in supplying small aircraft parts, namely PESOLA and SOPEÇAERO.
North America
Since 2003 SONACA also has a plant in Mirabel, QuebecMirabel, Quebec
Mirabel is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is an off-island suburb north-west of Montreal.Mirabel is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality and census division of Quebec, coextensive with the city of Mirabel. Its geographical code is 74.Mirabel's population was...
, Canada, and Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, where mainly U.S. wing panels allows for various aircraft manufacturers, including Bombardier
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
and IAI.
Present
From 2005 SONACA was again struggling with financial problems. This time it tried to compensate with layoffLayoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...
s and the relocation of labor-intensive production to Brazil.
Today, the Belgian branch of SONACA mainly engaged in the manufacture of wing components for Airbus, Dassault, EMBREAR, Grob and Eagle B-Hunter UAV.