SONACA

SONACA (Société Nationale de Construction Aérospatiale SA) is a Belgian aerospace company. The company began as Avions Fairey, a subsidiary of British manufacturer Fairey Aviation. When financial difficulties forced Fairey into receivership in 1977, Avions Fairey was taken into public ownership by the Belgian Government. This was done partly to calm social unrest but also to secure the licensed production of F-16 fighter aircraft. SONACA is still largely owned by the Wallonia Regional Investment Company (SRIW)via Fiwapac S.A.

From 1979 to 1991 SONACA produced 220 F-16, for both the Belgian and Danish Air Forces, under license from US company General Dynamics. 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.

In 2000 SONACA opened a subsidiary near EMBRAER called SOBRAER in Brazil's São José dos Campos, mainly engaged in the manufacture of fuselage parts.

Since 2004, SONACA also has two companies in São José dos Campos engaged in supplying small aircraft parts, called PESOLA and SOPEÇAERO.

Since 2003 SONACA also has plants in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. It also plans to acquire LMI Aerospace of St Louis, MO.

Sonaca Group is a global Belgian company active in the development, manufacturing, and assembly of advanced structures for civil, military, and space markets. The group is especially known for its wing movables expertise where it is regarded the world leader serving most of the primes with a market share of over 50%. It has production facilities in China, Europe, North-America, and South-America and employs over 2500 people including 350 engineers. In response to strong demand from its customers, Sonaca Group today also supplies engineering services, large sheet metal elements, wing plank, composite structures, and machined components.

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