Safran Defense and Space

What Safran Defense and Space does

Safran Defense & Space, Inc. (Safran DSI) is the U.S. subsidiary of French aerospace group Safran S.A. (Euronext Paris: SAF), formally established in May 2024 by consolidating Safran Federal Systems, Safran Trusted 4D, Optics 1, Inc., and other U.S. entities under a single corporate structure headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The company supplies defense and aerospace subsystems across five business units — EO/IR & Laser Systems, Fluid/Fuel/Oxygen Systems, Navigation & Geospatial Intelligence, Power & Propulsion, and Space Solutions — to the U.S. Department of Defense (Army, Navy), defense prime contractors (Bell Textron, Raytheon, Moog, Lockheed Martin), federal space and R&D agencies (DARPA), and a growing roster of commercial space customers (AstroForge, Loft Orbital). Core technologies include the proprietary HRG Dual Core inertial navigation platform (40,000+ units fielded, 30+ million operational hours), the Blacknaute™ M-Code-ready INS for GPS-denied operations, Hall-effect plasma thrusters (EPS®X00, EPS®1350, EPS®5000) for satellite propulsion, multi-spectral EO/IR imagers and dismounted-soldier targeting systems, and modular flight-test instrumentation (microMA, HEIM, CORTEX) paired with edge-AI and geospatial-AI analytics via the parent group's Safran.AI (formerly Preligens) and the in-house Advanced Cognitive Engine.

Revenue is generated primarily through firm-fixed-price and IDIQ government contracts and direct sales to defense primes, with hardware sales of navigation, propulsion, telemetry, and EO/IR subsystems as the dominant model. The company pursues a sales-led enterprise field-sales motion, capturing program-of-record awards such as a $47M U.S. Navy IDIQ telemetry contract, Bell Textron flight-test content on the U.S. Army FLRAA program, and Raytheon timing content on LTAMDS. Distribution is overwhelmingly direct to U.S. government and Tier-1 primes, with global commercial space supply as a secondary channel; marketing relies on defense industry trade shows (Eurosatory, Paris Air Show, Space Symposium, AUSA) and direct customer engagement. The company maintains AS9100-certified manufacturing and service operations across at least 11 U.S. states and a 28,000 sq ft Parker, Colorado Space Factory scaled to produce up to 200 PPS®X00 thrusters annually.

Name

Safran Defense and Space

Legal name

Safran Defense & Space, Inc.

Website

https://safran-dsi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Safran Defense & Space, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Safran S.A., supplying EO/IR targeting, inertial navigation, satellite propulsion, and flight-test telemetry subsystems to the U.S. Department of Defense, defense prime contractors (Bell Textron, Raytheon, Moog), and select commercial space customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Electronics and Aerospace Systems

NAICS

Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (3364)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft (3721), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD), Spacecraft Propulsion (In-Space) & Thrusters (IMABACAE), Military Avionics, Mission Computers & Flight Controls (IMABAMAE)

Keywords

• Defense electronics
• Satellite propulsion
• Inertial navigation systems
• Flight test telemetry
• Electro-optical infrared systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Defense Hardware and Systems: Sale of defense systems including EO/IR systems, satellite propulsion, navigation systems, and testing/telemetry equipment to U.S. military and defense contractors
2. Aerospace Testing and Telemetry Services: Flight test instrumentation, telemetry solutions, and mission data management systems for aerospace platforms including aircraft, missiles, and space launchers
3. Space Solutions: Satellite propulsion systems, onboard communications equipment, optics, and space/ground domain awareness solutions for government and commercial customers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Safran Defense & Space, Inc. designs, manufactures, and supplies defense and aerospace technologies across six solution lines: EO/IR & Laser Systems (targeting, surveillance, dismounted soldier optronics), Fluid/Fuel/Oxygen Systems, Navigation & Geospatial Intelligence (assured PNT and inertial navigation), Power & Propulsion (helicopter engines and electric propulsion), Space Solutions (Hall-effect satellite propulsion, onboard radios, space optics, ground station antennas, space surveillance), and Testing & Ground Evaluation (flight test instrumentation and telemetry). The company primarily serves U.S. Department of Defense agencies, defense prime contractors, and commercial space customers through direct government contracts and OEM supply relationships.

Product overview

Safran Defense & Space, Inc. (Safran DSI) is a U.S. subsidiary providing defense and aerospace technology solutions across multiple interconnected business units. The portfolio includes: EO/IR & Laser Systems for dismounted soldiers and platforms (COIL, CTAM, ECOSI, ECOTI2, HRTV, ICUGR, MOSKITO TI, PAVAM-MS, SLAM-D, STALKER, STERNA, SURF, TAD, PASEO, ARTIS 410, LRF modules); Fluid, Fuel & Oxygen Systems for military/aerospace platforms; Navigation & Geospatial Intelligence including Assured PNT and Blacknaute™ INS; Power & Propulsion for helicopters; Space Solutions encompassing satellite propulsion (EPS®X00, EPS®1350, EPS®5000), onboard radios, space optics (SEEING™ 130 Wide, SEEING™ 230 Ident), ground systems (ORION, VISION, IRIS, ARES, LEGION antennas, CORTEX modems), and WeTrack® space domain awareness; and Testing & Telemetry for flight test instrumentation, mission equipment (VS1410, NS1310, B.SAFE), and ground systems. The company operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture serving defense and aerospace customers with hardware-based solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Enertec: Airborne mission data management systems including ruggedized video and data recorders, mission data servers, and crash-survivable audio/video recorders
• Blacknaute
• Safran Federal Systems
• Safran.AI
• GEO.AI
• Cortex
• microMA
• HEIM
• WeTrack
• SPARTE
• ORION
• VISION
• IRIS
• LEGION
• ARES
• EPS
• SEEING
• PASEO
• ARTIS
• MOSKITO TI
• STALKER
• STERNA
• ECOSI
• ECOTI2
• COIL
• CTAM
• HRTV
• ICUGR
• SLAM-D
• PAVAM-MS
• SURF
• TAD
• CAR
• TM Maestro
• Attollo Engineering

Products and services

• COIL - Compact Ocular Interrupter Laser Long-range visible laser illuminator used to warn/hail and suppress potential threats, combining high-power VLI, wide-angle LRFs, low-light camera, and OLED display for dismounted soldier operations.
• CTAM - Coded Target Acquisition Marker Rail-mounted multi-function laser system combining coded marker for acquisition, aiming lasers, NIR pointer, and adjustable beam divergence illuminator for dismounted soldiers.
• ECOSI - Enhanced Clip-On SWIR Imager Multi-function device overlaying SWIR image onto NVD image to identify out-of-band SWIR aim lasers, pointers, beacons, and designators during day/night dismounted operations.
• ECOTI2 - Enhanced Clip-On Thermal Imager 2 Clip-on thermal imager providing heads-up display with navigation, route execution, and real-time geo-referenced XML-based augmented reality for night vision devices.
• HRTV - High Resolution Thermal Viewer Lightweight multifunctional long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting system integrating cooled thermal, color day, and low-light level channels.
• ICUGR - Integrated Compact Ultralight Gun-Mounted Rangefinder Multi-function laser system integrating aiming, illumination, and range finding for snipers and marksmen, with Applied Ballistics integration.
• MOSKITO TI Lightweight handheld day/night target acquisition, surveillance, and reconnaissance device with C4I capabilities, RS-232 and USB interfaces.
• PAVAM-MS - Precision Azimuth Vertical Angle Module Digital mortar aiming solution providing precision attitude and heading for mortar systems, even in GPS-denied environments.
• SLAM-D - Small Lightweight Acquisition Marker Designator Tripod-mountable high-power designator with NIR pointer, see-spot observation device, and PRF code counting for close air support operations.
• STALKER Lightweight handheld day/night target acquisition and reconnaissance device with integrated SAASM GPS for locating targets in adverse weather.
• STERNA - Non-Magnetic Based Target Acquisition System 24-hour True North capable target acquisition system operating in GNSS-denied and magnetically disturbed environments, supporting multi-mission dismounted requirements.
• SURF - Small Ultralight Rangefinder MIL-SPEC eye-safe laser rangefinder with ergonomic form factor for snipers, spotters, and marksmen.
• TAD - Thermal Augmentation Device Thermal sensor attachment for existing NVDs providing long-wave infrared capability with rugged construction for harsh environments.
• PASEO Long-range panoramic surveillance and targeting sight for armored vehicles, providing fire-on-the-move capability with high first-round hit probability for IFV and MBT applications.
• ARTIS 410 Next-generation multispectral stabilized sight system with ultra-long range observation and precision targeting capabilities for airborne reconnaissance.
• LRF 3019 / LRF 6019 Laser Rangefinders Compact and versatile 8 km fiber laser rangefinder modules for weapon-mounted and surveillance reconnaissance system integration by OEMs.
• Fluid, Fuel & Oxygen Systems Advanced fluid, fuel, and oxygen systems for U.S. military and aerospace platforms supporting aircrews, passengers, and medical applications on aircraft.
• Assured PNT - Positioning, Navigation & Timing Secure, precise, and resilient navigation solutions including GPS/GNSS-denied navigation, inertial navigation systems, M-Code GNSS, and atomic clock-based timing for contested environments.
• Blacknaute Inertial Navigation System Inertial navigation system featuring HRG Dual Core technology with drift under 0.4 nautical miles per hour, M-Code ready GNSS receiver, and ultra-stable atomic clock with drift under one second per 30,000 years.
• Power and Propulsion Systems Advanced power and propulsion solutions including turboshaft engines for helicopters, electric and power systems for hybrid-electric propulsion, and auxiliary power units for defense and aerospace platforms.
• EPS X00 Hall-Thruster Satellite Propulsion 1 kW class compact Hall-effect plasma thruster engineered for high-volume manufacturing, standardized production, and reduced lead times for LEO satellite constellations.
• EPS 1350 Electric Propulsion System Electric propulsion system for orbital transfer, station keeping, and deorbiting satellites, with proven flight heritage on ESA's Smart-1 lunar probe mission.
• EPS 5000 Hall-Thruster Satellite Propulsion Hall-effect thruster designed for all-electric satellites with operating lifespan of approximately 20,000 hours, handling orbital positioning and station-keeping duties.
• Onboard Space Radios for Nano/Cube and Mini/Micro Satellites Onboard radios for small satellite platforms including N-CUBE GNSS transceiver, X-LITE X-Band transmitter, N-SPHERE GNSS receiver, N-XONOS, N-KaLLISTO Ka-Band, N-STAR S/S-Band, XONOS, STAR, KapCOM, and Kallisto HDR.
• SEEING 130 Wide Space Optical Imager High-resolution optical imager with 10 Mpixels sensor, 35mm full frame format, 6.3° x 4.3° FOV, ultra-low SWaP design for LEO Earth observation.
• SEEING 230 Ident Space Optical Imager High-resolution 65 Mpixels optical imager with 230mm aperture, 1.03m GSD at 500km orbit, ZERODUR-based ultra-low SWaP design for small satellites.
• ORION Large S/X/Ka Space Antenna Large tri-band S/X/Ka antenna for space agencies, Earth observation, scientific missions, and deep space applications.
• VISION S/X/Ka Medium-Size Space Antenna Medium-size S/X/Ka antenna for Earth observation satellite communications, with first U.S.-built unit delivered in January 2025.
• IRIS Optical Ground Station Optical ground station for space laser communications supporting LEO, GEO, and probes with Cortex Lasercom modem for high data rate bi-directional communications.
• ARES Mobile Tracking Antenna Mobile tracking antenna for field operations, surveillance, reconnaissance, and satellite tracking.
• LEGION S/X/Ka Small-Size Space Antenna Small-size S/X/Ka antenna for Earth observation and satellite constellation communications.
• CORTEX Modem Family (CRT, CRT eXplorer, HDR, LASERCOM, NuRoN) CORTEX family of TT&C, high-data-rate, optical digital, and virtualized software modems for satellite command, control, and communications including deep space applications.
• WeTrack Space & Ground Awareness Service Autonomous network of RF sensors for precise orbital positioning with high data update rates, providing 24/7/365 space surveillance and satellite orbit tracking as a service.
• Flight Test Instrumentation and Telemetry Solutions End-to-end solutions for flight test instrumentation including data acquisition units, onboard recording, RF transmission/receiving, and ground telemetry stations for fixed/rotary wing aircraft, UAS, eVTOL, missiles, and space launchers.
• Mobile Telemetry Rack Portable telemetry checkout system integrating RTR-X4 receiver and GMDR recorder for receiving, demodulation, recording, processing, and displaying telemetry data.
• CORTEX MCTM Multi-Channel Telemetry Modulator RF simulator modulator with compact 1U design generating IRIG-compliant telemetry at RF level with dual RF outputs for channel simulation.
• microMA Wireless Micro Modular Data Acquisition Ultra-compact cylindrical wireless data acquisition unit with battery power and wireless connectivity for non-intrusive installation in aircraft.
• CORTEX BSS Best Source Selector Real-time telemetry source selection system that automatically chooses the optimal telemetry stream from up to 16+ sources using signal quality metrics.
• ENERTEC Operational Aircraft Mission Equipment ENERTEC-branded systems including ruggedized video/data recorders (VS1410), mission data servers (NS1310), crash-survivable A/V recorders (B.SAFE), ruggedized Ethernet switches (ES9910), and ground tools (RMM Manager & eZ Viewer) for mission-critical airborne operations.
• Missiles & Hypersonic Vehicles Flight Test Instrumentation End-to-end flight test instrumentation and telemetry architecture for missiles and hypersonic vehicles, providing unified architecture eliminating multi-vendor integration challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• Drift of less than 0.4 nautical miles per hour for Blacknaute INS over several hours of flight testing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• Bell TextroncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Safran DSI delivered a 53-foot advanced mobile telemetry trailer to Bell Textron, marking Bell's third telemetry trailer and first new trailer in over 20 years. Also provides flight testing solutions and antennas for Bell's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program under a comprehensive contract.
• Colorado Space InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2026Safran DSI partnered with Colorado Space Institute to strengthen the U.S. space workforce through education and training initiatives.
• RaytheoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2025Safran Federal Systems provides advanced timing solutions for Raytheon's LTAMDS (Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor) program for the U.S. Army. The program has entered production and deployment phase to detect and defeat hypersonic weapons and UAVs.
• DARPAstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2025Safran Federal Systems selected by DARPA for Robust Quantum Sensor development, advancing next-generation quantum sensing technologies.
• Attollo EngineeringstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025Safran DSI acquired Attollo Engineering to expand sensing capabilities, strengthening the company's optronics and sensor portfolio for defense applications.
• AstroForgestrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 August 2025Safran DSI to supply electric propulsion systems for AstroForge's upcoming Vestri asteroid mission, supporting commercial deep space exploration.
• MoogcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Safran Federal Systems selected by Moog for the Hercules Avionics Suite, providing navigation and PNT solutions for the aircraft platform.
• U.S. NavycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafran DSI awarded a $47 million firm-fixed-price IDIQ contract by the US Navy for telemetry and testing solutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris is a direct peer across defense electronics, EO/IR sensors, navigation, and space systems. Both companies serve U.S. DoD and primes with overlapping capabilities in mission electronics, communications, and surveillance products.
• BAE Systems: BAE Systems' Electronic Systems segment competes directly in EO/IR sensors, navigation, PNT, and electronic warfare subsystems for U.S. and allied defense customers, mirroring Safran DSI's EO/IR and PNT portfolio.
• Curtiss-Wright Corporation: Curtiss-Wright's Defense Solutions segment is a direct competitor in flight test instrumentation, telemetry, data acquisition, and ruggedized mission electronics — closely aligned with Safran DSI's Testing & Telemetry and Enertec product lines.
• Moog Inc. Moog competes with Safran DSI on precision motion control, navigation/PNT subsystems, and avionics integration (e.g., Hercules Avionics Suite where Moog is the integrator and Safran Federal Systems is a supplier). Comparable defense/aerospace subsystem supplier profile.
• Ball Aerospace: Ball Aerospace is a direct peer in space optical imagers, spacecraft payloads, and satellite ground systems. Both companies serve U.S. government space programs with comparable EO/space instrument and ground antenna capabilities.
• Leonardo DRS: Leonardo DRS competes in defense electronics, EO/IR sensors, and avionics subsystems for U.S. military programs. Similar mid-tier defense electronics supplier positioning with comparable customer base across U.S. Army and DoD.
• General Dynamics Mission Systems: General Dynamics Mission Systems is a direct peer in space electronics, PNT, and tactical communications. Chris Keeler (now Safran DSI Space Solutions President) joined from this business, illustrating the close talent and capability overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Honeywell Aerospace: Honeywell is a broad incumbent in inertial navigation, PNT, flight management systems, and helicopter engines — overlapping with Safran DSI's Blacknaute INS and helicopter propulsion lines, though at significantly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman is a broad incumbent across space systems, navigation, EO/IR, and defense electronics. Several Safran DSI Space Solutions leaders came from Northrop, indicating significant capability overlap across space payloads, propulsion integration, and mission systems.

Emerging players

• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Kratos competes in unmanned systems, space, and tactical defense electronics with growing propulsion and satellite communications offerings. Positioned as an emerging player overlapping with Safran DSI's space and tactical product lines but with less breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SafranDSI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safran-dsi

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A1 record

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Safran Defense and Space