Julian Moxon/PARIS
Sextant Avionique and Dassault Electronique are to form a commercial alliance under which their avionics products will be jointly marketed to airlines.
Talks on the deal have been under way for more than a year, and are unconnected with last year's decision to incorporate Dassault Electronique into the Thomson-CSF group, which holds a majority interest in Sextant - Aerospatiale holds the remainder.
Sextant and Dassault will create an equally owned joint venture, which is scheduled to be operational by "around mid-year".
Sextant says that the decision was taken "entirely on commercial grounds", although it does not rule out a future civil-avionics group within Thomson-CSF.
The avionics product lines are largely complementary, and the agreement covers only buyer-furnished equipment, which accounts for all of Dassault's avionics line-up and about 20% of Sextant's.
Dassault Electronique will bring its satellite-communications systems, Mode S transponders, surveillance equipment, recorders and mass memories to the deal; Sextant its multi-mode receiver, flight management system, radio altimeter, VHF radio, instruments and onboard printer. All contracts with airlines will be signed by Sextant.
Source: Flight International
