Groupe Latécoère
| File:Logo Latécoère.jpg | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Template:Euronext CAC Small | |
| Industry | aerospace |
| Founded | September 1917 |
| Founder | Pierre-Georges Latécoère |
| Headquarters | Toulouse, France |
| Revenue | Increase €659 million |
| Decrease €6 million | |
Number of employees | 4,958 (2018) |
The Groupe Latécoère () is an aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Toulouse, France. Established in 1917 by aviation pioneer Pierre-Georges Latécoère, the firm initially earned acclaim for its seaplane designs, most notably the six-engine Latécoère 631.
Currently, Groupe Latécoère stands as a prominent producer of aerostructures, specializing in fuselage components and aircraft doors. Through its subsidiary Latelec, it ranks as Europe’s second-largest provider of onboard electrical wiring harnesses and avionics bays. The company supports all sectors of the aviation industry: commercial airliners with partners like Airbus and Boeing, regional jets from Embraer and Bombardier Aerospace, business aircraft with Dassault Aviation, as well as military platforms supplied to Dassault and Airbus.
History
Founded amid World War I in September 1917, Pierre-Georges Latécoère launched manufacturing facilities in Toulouse dedicated to producing military equipment, including aircraft, delivering approximately 800 units to the French Army.
Following the war, the enterprise transitioned towards designing and building seaplanes, producing significant models such as the six-engine Latécoère 631, intended for transatlantic routes. Nicknamed The Ship of the Skies, it debuted in 1939 with a total of ten units constructed. It remains the largest seaplane produced in quantity and operated passenger flights until 1955.
By the early 21st century, Groupe Latécoère had concentrated its activities on aircraft equipment and aerostructures. Its equipment division leads in manufacturing avionics bays, onboard electrical harnesses, and CCTV systems. The aerostructure segment produces fuselage sections and cargo doors for major aerospace companies including Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, Bombardier Aerospace, and Embraer. The group also delivers design and engineering services through global facilities located in the Czech Republic, Romania, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Tunisia, Mexico, and Brazil. Key subsidiaries encompass Letov Kbely, Latecoere do Brasil, and LaTelec.
In the early 2010s, British industrial group GKN expressed acquisition interest. Confronted with significant debt in 2015, Groupe Latécoère undertook a debt restructuring involving equity conversion that reduced liabilities and facilitated increased foreign investment. By 2017, improved financial health enabled plans to broaden the aerospace portfolio via acquisitions alongside establishing a new corporate headquarters.
In April 2019, private equity firm Searchlight Capital purchased a 26% stake for $106.8 million; by December that year it had gained controlling interest. This shift to foreign ownership triggered political discussions concerning national sovereignty over strategic aerospace assets.
Aircraft products
- Latécoère 1 (1918) Two-seat fighter; possibly produced under license from Breguet 14.
- Latécoère 2 (1918) Licensed Salmson 2 production.
- Latécoère 3 (1919) Prototype two-seat single-engine biplane for transport and mail.
- Latécoère 4 (1920) Prototype three-engine biplane airliner seating fifteen.
- Latécoère 5 (1924) Bomber prototype biplane with three engines based on Latécoère 4.
- Latécoère 6 (1924) Four-engine biplane bomber.
- Latécoère 7 (1922)* High-wing monoplane bomber design.
- Latécoère 8 (1922) Single-engine biplane airliner accommodating five passengers.
- Latécoère 9 (1922)* Four-engine biplane model.
- Latécoère 10 (1922)* Four-engine monoplane design.
- Latécoère 11 (1922)* Three-engine transport/COIN aircraft.
- Latécoère 12 (1922)* Single-engine transport/COIN aircraft.
- Latécoère 13 (1922)* Twin-engine airliner.
- Latécoère 14 (1923) High-wing cantilever monoplane.
- Latécoère 16 (1924) Single-engine four-passenger airliner evolved from Latécoère 14.
- Latécoère 15 (1924) Twin-engine monoplane airliner for six passengers.
- Latécoère 15M (1924) Transport seaplane variant converted from Latécoère 15.
- Latécoère 17 (1924) Single-engine monoplane airliner seating four passengers.
- Latécoère 18 Twin-engine biplane flying boat transport.
- Latécoère 19 (1925) Prototype twin-engine monoplane bomber derived from Latécoère 15.
- Latécoère 20 (1926)* Air ambulance version of Latécoère 19.
- Latécoère 21 (1926) Twin-engine flying boat airliner carrying six passengers.
- Latécoère 22 (1927) Single-seat single-engine mailplane.
- Latécoère 23 (1927) Eight-passenger twin-engine flying boat derived from Latécoère 21.
- Latécoère 24 (1927) Three-engine parasol-wing flying boat designed for transatlantic mail service.
- Latécoère 25 (1926) Five-passenger single-engine airliner.
- Latécoère 26 (1926) Mailplane powered by a single engine.
- Latécoère 27 (1927)* Proposed improved version of Latécoère 24 not built.
- Latécoère 28 (1927) Single-engine long-range monoplane airliner and mailplane seating eight passengers based on Latécoère 26.
- Latécoère 29 (I) Three-engine flying boat.*
- Latécoère 29 (II) (1930) Torpedo bomber variant of Latécoère 28.
- Latécoère 30 Three-engine flying boat.*
- Latécoère 32 (1928) Twin-engine monoplane flying boat airliner and mailplane carrying four passengers derived from Latécoère 23.
- Latécoère 101 (1940)* Four-engine push-pull configuration flying boat.
- Latécoère 124 (1945)* Variant of Latécoère 101 featuring four separate engines.
- Latécoère 130 Development based on Latécoère 631.*
- Latécoère 140 (1945)* Four-engine airliner utilizing wings from Latécoère 631.
- Latéoceére150 (1943-1948)* Four-engine transatlantic flying boat model.
- Latéoceére160 (1945)* Landplane version of Latéoceére150; four-engined transatlantic airliner with capacity for fifty-two passengers using Latéoceére631 wings.
- Additional projects comprised reconnaissance and bomber flying boats such as the Latéoceére170, -180, -200 series.*
Aircraft indicated with * denote projects that remained unbuilt.
- Malaface
- Malafon
Products currently offered
- Airbus A330 A340 (upper shell of mid-fuselage)
- Airbus A340/500-600 (mid-fuselage upper shell and lower nose portion)
- Airbus A380 (passenger entry doors, bulk cargo doors, lower nose segment)
- Airbus A320 (passenger entry doors)
- Boeing 787 (passenger doors)
- Bombardier CRJ 700/900 (bulk cargo door)
- Embraer ERJ 170/175/190/195 (passenger doors, emergency exits, forward and aft fuselage barrel sections)
- Dassault Falcon 50 EX (rear fuselage segment)
- Dassault Falcon 7X (baggage door, rear fuselage segment)
- Dassault Falcon 900 B/EX (rear fuselage segment)
- Boom Overture (electrical systems)
Current executive team
- Chairman of the Board: Thierry Mootz
- Chief Executive Officer: André-Hubert Roussel
Cultural references
Latécoère holds a significant place in the origins of French aviation and is mentioned in iconic French music such as Henri Salvador's "Jardin d'Hiver" and Serge Gainsbourg's Lola Rastaquouère. Additionally, it appears in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's autobiographical narrative, Wind, Sand, and Stars, emphasizing its pioneering contribution to establishing airmail routes between Toulouse and Dakar.