Zodiac Milpro, headquartered in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, is a company that manufactures inflatable boats and

rigid hull inflatable boat A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are ...

s for the

emergency services Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal wit ...

, military and professional users, including heavy-duty inflatable work boats that can carry

payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...

s up to four tons and passengers for

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins ( cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...

, etc.

Ownership

Headquartered in

and with manufacturing facilities in

Delta, British Columbia Delta is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, as part of Greater Vancouver. Located on the Fraser Lowland south of Fraser River's south arm, it is bordered by the city of Richmond on the Lulu Island to the north, N ...

Roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

, Spain, and Stevensville, Maryland. Zodiac Milpro was a business unit of

Zodiac Aerospace Zodiac Aerospace was a French aerospace group founded in 1896 that supplied systems and equipment for aircraft. It had around 100 sites across the globe and employed nearly 35,000 people. In October 2018, it was acquired by French aerospace an ...

till 2008, when it was renamed Milpro. In 2011 it was spun off from Zodiac Aerospace and it became an independent company. In December 2012, Zodiac Milpro Group was sold by its parent company, Zodiac Marine and Pool, being acquired by

Oaktree Capital Oaktree Capital Management is an American global asset management firm specializing in alternative investment strategies. As of March 31, 2022, the company managed $164 billion for its clientele. The firm was co-founded in 1995 by a group that ...

. The following year, Zodiac Milpro acquired the British inflatable boat manufacturer

Avon Inflatables Avon Inflatables, Ltd is a manufacturer of inflatable boats, Rigid-hulled inflatable boat, RIBs and marine safety equipment. The company is based in Dafen, Carmarthenshire, Dafen, near the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales, and supplies t ...

, which was renamed Zodiac Milpro UK."Rebrand for Avon Inflatables after Takeover". 14 February 2013.
Insider Limited. Retrieved 8 February 2023.

Name

Though Zodiac Milpro and Zodiac Nautic produce a large range of both inflatable and rigid-hulled boats, the name "Zodiac" has become synonymous with inflatable boats such as the FC470 and as a generic term for inflatable boats.

History

The first inflatable boats were designed in 1920 by Zodiac, which produced its first prototypes for the army in 1934. In 1934, Zodiac engineer Pierre Debroutelle designed the prototype of an inflatable kayak. In 1937, interested in his research, the Naval Aviation commissioned him to develop a boat capable of carrying torpedoes and bombs. Pierre Debroutelle developed a new prototype: a U-shaped boat equipped with two side air chambers joined by a wooden dashboard: the ancestor of the modern Zodiac inflatable boat. In 1940, Zodiac invented the prototype of the first inflatable boat. In the early 1960s, the Royal National Lifeboat Institute in Great Britain designed the first rigid hulled inflatable boat (RIB). This hybrid craft was developed for high speed, offshore sea and rescue operations. Zodiac Milpro continued research and development of this new technology and developed the concept into today's rigid hull inflatable boats. In 1987, Zodiac SA acquired a majority share in the capital of Zodiac Marine Ltd. and a majority stake in Hurricane Rescue Craft Inc. and formed Zodiac Hurricane Marine Inc. (ZHM). In 1991, Zodiac SA combined its Toronto-based distribution subsidiary (ZIT) with its manufacturing company in Richmond (ZHM), to form Zodiac Hurricane Technologies Inc. (ZHT). Today, Zodiac Hurricane Technologies is the world's largest manufacturer of professional RIBs.

Ranges

* Zodiac Milpro Sea RIB range (from 4m to 11m) * Zodiac Hurricane RIB range (from 6m to 13m) * Zodiac Milpro Futura Commando range, multi-mission military inflatable boats * Zodiac Milpro ZMSR and ERB inflatable rescue boats * Zodiac Milpro Heavy Duty and Grand Raid professional multi-purpose inflatable boats

Users

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official website
Companies based in Paris Inflatable boat manufacturers