DASA
| Company type | Aerospace company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Predecessor | Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), MTU München, Dornier Flugzeugwerke |
| Founded | May 19, 1989 |
| Founder | Daimler-Benz AG |
| Defunct | July 10, 2000 |
| Fate | Merged with Aérospatiale-Matra and CASA to form EADS |
| Successor | EADS (later Airbus Group) |
| Headquarters | Germany , Germany |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Peter Weger (chief test pilot) |
| Products | Aircraft, helicopters, aerospace systems |
| Owner | Daimler-Benz AG / DaimlerChrysler AG |
| Parent | Daimler-Benz AG / DaimlerChrysler AG |
DASA—initially known as Deutsche AeroSpace AG, and later renamed Daimler-Benz AeroSpace AG followed by DaimlerChrysler AeroSpace AG—was a German aerospace company created in 1989 as the aerospace branch of Daimler-Benz AG (which subsequently became DaimlerChrysler). In the same year, it acquired its competitor Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), merging it along with other aerospace entities such as MTU München and Dornier Flugzeugwerke by 1992.
The firm’s existence was relatively short-lived due to industry-wide consolidation influenced by the post-Cold War peace dividend of the 1990s. In July 2000, DASA joined forces with France’s Aérospatiale-Matra and Spain’s CASA, forming EADS, which was eventually renamed Airbus Group.
History
Established on 19 May 1989, DASA united Daimler-Benz’s aerospace holdings with those of MTU München and Dornier. Later that year, in December, Daimler-Benz purchased MBB and integrated it into DASA. By March 1990, the organization was reorganized into five main divisions: Aircraft, Space Systems, Defense, Civil Systems, and Propulsion. By 1992, the majority of the previously separate companies were fully absorbed.
In 1992, DASA’s helicopter operations combined with French firm Aérospatiale’s to form Eurocopter. The Bo 108 helicopter—an evolution of MBB’s Bo 105—was introduced as the Eurocopter EC135, achieving notable commercial success. By 2014, Eurocopter—later renamed Airbus Helicopters—maintained four principal European production sites and over thirty subsidiaries globally, supporting more than 3,000 clients across roughly 150 countries with a fleet exceeding 12,000 helicopters.
During the early 1990s, DASA pursued a strategic alliance with Dutch manufacturer Fokker, acquiring a 40% ownership stake in 1993 to strengthen its position in regional aircraft. Nevertheless, fierce market competition caused financial strain on both companies. Fokker scaled back production of its Fokker 50 airliner and initiated restructuring measures. By January 1996, after initially exploring a rescue plan contingent on Dutch government backing, DASA withdrew from involvement with Fokker.
Facing financial pressures, DASA decided to exit the regional aircraft sector. In June 1996, it divested most of Dornier’s assets to the American firm Fairchild Aircraft, resulting in the creation of Fairchild Dornier. That same year, manufacturing of the Dornier 228 was shifted to India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), ceasing German production by 1998. These actions were intended to concentrate efforts on the larger Dornier 328 airliner amid Dornier’s economic difficulties.
On 1 January 1995, the company adopted the name Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG. Following Daimler-Benz’s merger with Chrysler in 1998, it was renamed DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG. In response to growing European aerospace consolidation after the Cold War, DASA (excluding MTU) merged on 10 July 2000 with Aérospatiale-Matra and CASA to establish EADS. The former DaimlerChrysler Aerospace segment operated under EADS Deutschland GmbH, which was later rebranded as Airbus Defence and Space GmbH following EADS’s transformation into Airbus Group.
Major projects
Following its establishment, DASA took part in several prominent aircraft initiatives, including the multinational Eurofighter Typhoon, the Panavia Tornado fighter-bomber, and various collaborative ventures. In the Tornado programme, DASA participated through Panavia Aircraft GmbH, a tri-national consortium comprising British Aerospace, Aeritalia, and DASA (which succeeded MBB's involvement). DASA was responsible for producing the Tornado's central fuselage section for all international clients, while other consortium members handled additional airframe components. Its subsidiary MTU owned a 40% share in Turbo-Union, the international company that engineered and manufactured the RB199 engines powering the Tornado. Production concluded in 1998, with the last units delivered to the Royal Saudi Air Force, which procured 96 IDS Tornados. Additionally, DASA oversaw the mid-life upgrade (MLU) programme for the German Tornado fleet, paralleling the RAF’s GR4 modernization.
Throughout the 1990s, the Eurofighter project progressed into full-scale production, with DASA holding a substantial portion of the workload. Initially, workshare was divided roughly as 33% UK, 33% Germany, 21% Italy, and 13% Spain, reflecting initial order volumes. After reductions in orders following the Cold War’s end, these allocations were revised to 43% for EADS MAS (Germany and Spain), 37.5% for BAE Systems (UK), and 19.5% for Alenia (Italy). The Eurofighter prototype completed its first flight on 27 March 1994 in Bavaria, piloted by DASA’s chief test pilot Peter Weger. Production was structured into three tranches—later dividing Tranche3 into A and B—representing funding stages rather than distinct capability upgrades. By September 1998, contracts covered 148 Tranche1 aircraft along with long lead items for Tranche2. The last Tranche1 aircraft was handed over to the German Air Force in March 2008; subsequent deliveries complied with Tranche2 specifications or exceeded them.
Drawing on its proficiency with German and NATO platforms, DaimlerChrysler Aerospace developed upgrade packages for aircraft such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Boeing E-3 Sentry. In 1993, it co-established MiG Aircraft Support GmbH, holding a 50% interest to modernize the German Air Force’s fleet of 24 MiG-29s to NATO standards—aircraft inherited from former East Germany after reunification.
Aircraft
- Dornier 228
- Dornier 328
- Eurocopter AS355 Écureuil 2
- MBB Bo 105
- MBB Bo 108 – predecessor to the Eurocopter EC 135
- MBB/Kawasaki BK 117
- MBB F-104G/CCV (CCV Programme)
Partnerships
- Airbus A300
- Airbus A310
- Airbus A320 family
- Eurofighter Typhoon
- Fokker 50
- Fokker 70
- Fokker 100
- MPC 75
- Panavia Tornado
- Rockwell-MBB X-31