Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Awarded €1.5 Billion French Military Satellite Contract

France’s defense procurement agency awarded a consortium led by Airbus Defence and Space, including Thales Alenia Space, a contract worth more than €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) for the IRIS program. The contract covers the design, manufacture and testing of two high-resolution Earth-observation satellites, plus ground systems, operations and maintenance. The satellites will replace France’s CSO reconnaissance satellites and are intended to improve imagery and speed intelligence delivery; the program is expected to run through the late 2030s, providing long-term revenue visibility.