The Groupe Latécoère () is an aircraft company based in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

, France. Founded by the

aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identif ...

pioneer

Pierre-Georges Latécoère Pierre-Georges Latécoère (; 1883–1943) was a pioneer of aeronautics. Born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, he studied in the École Centrale Paris and, during the First World War, started a business in aeronautics. He directed plants that made p ...

during 1917, the company became well known in its first few decades for its range of

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...

s, such as the six-engined

Latécoère 631 The Latécoère 631 was a civil transatlantic flying boat built by Latécoère, the largest ever built up to its time. The type was not a success, being unreliable and uneconomic to operate. Five of the eleven aircraft built were written off in ...

. Presently, Groupe Latécoère operates as a major supplier of aerostructures, producing sections of fuselage and doors, having become the second-largest European supplier of onboard electrical wire harnesses and

avionics Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...

bays through its ''Latelec''

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a ...

company. It is currently a member of the

CAC Small The CAC Small (formerly the CAC Small 90) is a stock market index used by the Paris Bourse. It is a small-cap index which represents all main-market French equities not included in the CAC 40, the CAC Next 20 or the CAC Mid 60. Together, these 4 i ...

and participates in all segments of aeronautics: commercial

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ai ...

s with

Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

and

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...

regional aircraft A regional airliner or a feederliner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically flown by the r ...

with

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace manufacturer that produces commercial, military, executive and agricultural aircraft, and provides aeronautical services. It was founded in 1969 in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, where ...

and Bombardier,

business aircraft Business aircraft are aircraft typically used by companies and corporations to transport people or goods related to the needs of said businesses. Most business aircraft are general aviation aircraft variants of piston or turboprop or busi ...

with

Dassault Aviation Dassault Aviation SA () is a French manufacturer of military aircraft and business jets. It was founded in 1929 by Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch or "MB". After World War II, Marcel Bloch changed his name to Marcel Da ...

, as well as military aircraft with Dassault and Airbus.

History

The company has its roots in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

; during September 1917,

pioneer

decided to invest in a series of factories in

. The business initially focused on the production of military material, such as

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

s and aircraft. It reportedly delivered roughly 800 aircraft to the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

. Following the end of the conflict, Latécoère engaged in the design and manufacture of numerous

s. Perhaps the most significant of these was the six-engined

, a large passenger aircraft designed for transatlantic journeys. Billed as being ''The Ship of the Skies'', the 631 performed its

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. The maiden flight of a new aircraft type is alw ...

during 1939; a total of 10 aircraft were completed. It was the largest production seaplane to ever be built, having a wingspan roughly one-third larger than the

Short Sunderland The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North Ea ...

, another contemporary large seaplane. The type was performing regular passenger services up until September 1955. By the turn of the century, Groupe Latecoere was principally known for the manufacture of aircraft equipment and aerostructures production. In the equipment sector, it is a leading manufacturer of avionics bays, onboard electrical harnesses, and

closed-circuit television Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly tr ...

(CCTV) systems. Aerostructure work includes the production of fuselage sections, including both passenger and cargo doors, as a

subcontractor A subcontractor is an individual or (in many cases) a business that signs a contract to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract. Put simply the role of a subcontractor is to execute the job they are hired by the contractor f ...

to multiple aircraft manufacturers, such as

Bombardier Aerospace Bombardier Aviation is a division of Bombardier Inc. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada. Its most popular aircraft included the Dash 8 Series 400, CRJ100/200/440, and CRJ700/900/1000 lines of regional airliners, and the newer CS ...

and

. Furthermore, Groupe Latecoere provides design and engineering services for select clients. In addition to the firm's primary base in France, it operates at locations throughout the world, including the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Latecoere SA operates through a number of

businesses, including Letov Kbely, Latecoere do Brasil, and ''LaTelec'', among others. During the early 2010s, there were rumours that the British industrial conglomerate GKN would potentially acquire Groupe Latécoère. In early 2015, as a consequence of the company's high debt ratio, the firm restructured its operations, resulting in a significant drop in debt levels via an

equity Equity may refer to: Finance, accounting and ownership *Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them ** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business ** Home equity, the diff ...

exchange, opening itself up to greater foreign ownership in the process. By September 2017, the company's financial situation had improved to such an extent that it was reportedly once again looking to expand its aerospace portfolio via acquisitions. That same year, it also committed to the establishment of a new company headquarters. In early April 2019, it was announced that

private equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a t ...

firm

Searchlight Capital Searchlight Capital Partners is a private equity firm. Searchlight Capital was established in 2010 by Eric Zinterhofer, Oliver Haarmann, and Erol Uzumeri, its founding partners. It has offices in New York, Conduit Street, London and Toronto. ...

had agreed to purchase a 26 percent stake in Groupe Latécoère in exchange for $106.8 million. By December 2019, the buying of additional shares had given Searchlight a controlling stake in the firm; this generated some political controversy over the firm's now-foreign ownership.

Aircraft products

* Latécoère 1 * Latécoère 2 *

Latécoère 3 The Latécoère 3 was a French biplane transport; the 1919 prototype was a two-seater but the unbuilt production version would have carried two or three passengers as well as the pilot. Design and development Immediately after the end of World ...

(1919) Two-seat, single-engine prototype transport and postal biplane. * Latécoère 4 (1920) 15-passenger, three-engine prototype passenger biplane. *

Latécoère 5 The Latécoère 5 was a French three-engined biplane bomber prototype of the early 1920s, based on the Latécoère 4 passenger aircraft. It did not fly until 1924 and only one was built. Design and development The Latécoère 5 was a revision o ...

(1924) Three-engine prototype bomber biplane developed from the Latécoère 4. * Latécoère 6 (1924) Four-engine bomber biplane. * Latécoère 7* * Latécoère 8 (1922) Five-passenger, single-engine biplane airliner. * Latécoère 9* * Latécoère 10* * Latécoère 11* * Latécoère 12* * Latécoère 13* (1922) Twin-engine airliner. * Latécoère 14 (1923) Three-passenger, single-engine airliner. * Latécoère 15 (1925) Six-passenger, twin-engine monoplane airliner. * Latécoère 16 (1924) Four-passenger, single engine airliner developed from the Latécoère 14. *

Latécoère 17 __NOTOC__ The Latécoère 17 was a French airliner built in 1923 for use on Latécoère's own airline routes between France and Morocco. The prototype was designated the Latécoère 14, reusing the number of an unrelated earlier design that ...

(1924) Four-passenger, single engine monoplane airliner. * Latécoère 18 * Latécoère 19 (1925) Twin-engine prototype monoplane bomber developed from the Latécoère 15. * Latécoère 20* * Latécoère 21 (1926) Six-passenger, twin-engine monoplane flying boat airliner. * Latécoère 22 (1927) Single-seat, single-engine mailplane. * Latécoère 23 (1927) Eight-passenger, twin-engine monoplane flying boat transport developed from the Latécoère 21. * Latécoère 24 (1927) Three-engine parasol-wing monoplane flying boat, intended as a transatlantic mailplane. *

Latécoère 25 __NOTOC__ The Latécoère 25 was a French airliner built in 1925 for use on Latécoère's own airline and its subsidiaries. Essentially a refined version of the Latécoère 17 with an enlarged wingspan, it supplanted that type in production and ...

(1926) Five-passenger, single-engine airliner. * Latécoère 26 (1926) Single-engine mailplane. * Latécoère 27* (1927) Unbuilt improved version of the Latécoère 24. *

Latécoère 28 The Latécoère 28 was a successful French long-haul mail plane and passenger airliner of the 1930s. It was the main-stay of Air France's predecessor, Aéropostale in its efforts to establish intercontinental air mail services and support French ...

(1927) Eight-passenger, single engine long-haul monoplane airliner and mailplane developed from the Latécoère 26. * Latécoère 29 (gros)* * Latécoère 30* * Latécoère 32 (1928) Four-passenger, twin-engine monoplane flying boat airliner and mailplane developed from the Latécoère 23. * Latécoère 101* * Latécoère 120* * Latécoère 124* * Latécoère 130* * Latécoère 132* * Latécoère 140* * Latécoère 150* * Latécoère 160* * Latécoère 170* * Latécoère 180* * Latécoère 181* * Latécoère 190* * Latécoère 200* * Latécoère 210* * Latécoère 220* * Latecoere 225 (1984) Single-seat microlight amphibian * Latécoère 255* * Latécoère 270* * Latécoère 290 (1931) Single-engine floatplane torpedo bomber. * Latécoère 291* * Latécoère 292* * Latécoère 292/2* * Latécoère 293 Version of the Latécoère 290. * Latécoère 294 Version of the Latécoère 290 * Latécoère 295* * Latécoère 296 Version of the Latécoère 290 * Latécoère 297* *

Latécoère 298 The Latécoère 298 (sometimes abridged to Laté 298) was a French seaplane that served during World War II. It was designed primarily as a torpedo bomber, but served also as a dive bomber against land and naval targets, and as a maritime reconnais ...

(1936) Single-engine floatplane torpedo and dive bomber. * Latécoère 299 (1939) Landplane reconnaissance-torpedo bomber version of the Latécoère 298. * Latécoère 300 (1931) Four-engine flying boat mailplane. * Latécoère 301 Version of the Latécoère 300 * Latécoère 302 Maritime reconnaisance version of the Latécoère 300 * Latécoère 310* * Latécoère 330* * Latécoère 340 (1930) Five-passenger, three-engine medium range flying boat airliner. * Latécoère 350 (1931) Ten-passenger, three-engine airliner developed from the Latécoère 28. * Latécoère 360* * Latécoère 370* * Latécoère 380 (1930) Twin-engine long-range flying boat mailplane. * Latécoère 381 (1934) Maritime patrol version of the Latécoère 380. * Latécoère 382* * Latécoère 383* * Latécoère 384* * Latécoère 385* * Latécoère 386* * Latécoère 410* * Latécoère 420* * Latécoère 430* * Latécoère 440 (1931) Single-engine floatplane coastal defence aircraft developed from the Latécoère 28. * Latécoère 441* * Latécoère 442* * Latécoère 443* * Latécoère 460* * Latécoère 470* * Latécoère 480* * Latécoère 490 (1931) Single-engine, two-seat prototype reconnaissance monoplane. * Latécoère 491 (1931) Second prototype of the Latécoère 490. * Latécoère 492* * Latécoère 493* * Latécoère 500 (1932) Twin-engine long-range flying boat mailplane. * Latécoère 501 (1932) Airliner version of the Latécoère 500. * Latécoère 502* * Latécoère 503* * Latécoère 510* * Latécoère 520* * Latécoère 521 (1935) 30 to 72-passenger, six-engine large long-range flying boat airliner, militarized during WW2. * Latécoère 522 Version of the Latécoère 521. * Latécoère 523 Maritime patrol version of the Latécoère 521. * Latécoère 524* * Latécoère 525* * Latécoère 530* * Latécoère 531* * Latécoère 550 Four-engine floatplane torpedo bomber. * Latécoère 560* * Latécoère 570 (1939) Twin-engine prototype medium bomber. * Latécoère 580* * Latécoère 581* * Latécoère 582 (1935) Three-engine long-range flying boat patrol aircraft. * Latécoère 590* * Latécoère 600* * Latécoère 601* * Latécoère 602* * Latécoère 610* *

Latécoère 611 The Latécoère 611 was a French four-engined maritime reconnaissance flying boat of the Second World War. Although only a single prototype was completed, this served throughout the war, being used by both the Vichy French and Free French navies. ...

(1940) Four-engine prototype flying boat maritime reconnaissance aircraft. * Latécoère 612* * Latécoère 613* * Latécoère 614* * Latécoère 615* * Latécoère 616* * Latécoère 617* * Latécoère 620* * Latécoère 630* *

(1942) 46-passenger, six-engine large long-range flying boat airliner * Latécoère 632* * Latécoère 633* * Latécoère 634* * Latécoère 635* * Latécoère 636* * Latécoère 637* * Latécoère 638* * Latécoère 639* * Latécoère 640* * Latécoère 670* * Latécoère 671* * Latécoère 672* * Latécoère 673* * Latécoère 675* * Latécoère 703* * Latécoère 710 * Latécoère 730* * Latécoère 740* * Latécoère 780* * Latécoère 790* * Latécoère 800* * Latécoère 810* * Latécoère 820* * Latécoère 830* * Latécoère 850* * Latécoère 860* * Latécoère 870* * Latécoère 880* * Latécoère 900* ''aircraft marked * were projects only''

Missile products for the French Navy

* Malaface *

Malafon Malafon (MArine LAtécoère FONds) was a French ship-launched anti-submarine missile system. Developed in the 1950s and 1960s, the weapon was intended to take advantage of the greater detection ranges possible with towed sonar arrays. The missil ...

Current products

Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner in the mid-1970s. Then the company began development on the A330 twinjet in parallel with the A340 ...

A340 The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body A wide-body aircraft, also known as a twin-aisle aircraft, is an airliner with a fuselage wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles with seven or more seats abreast. The typical fuselage d ...

(mid-fuselage upper shell) * Airbus A340/500-600 (mid-fuselage upper shell and lower nose section) *

Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...

(passenger doors, bulk cargo doors and lower nose section) *

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fam ...

(passenger doors) *

Boeing 787 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, ...

(passenger doors) * Bombardier CRJ 700/900 (bulk cargo door) * Embraer ERJ 170/175/190/195 (passenger doors, emergency exit door and forward and aft fuselage barrel section) * Dassault Falcon 50 EX (Rear fuselage section) *

Dassault Falcon 7X The Dassault Falcon 7X is a large-cabin, range business jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the second largest of its Dassault Falcon line. Launched at 2001 Paris Air Show, its first flight was on 5 May 2005 and it entered service on 15 Ju ...

(baggage door and rear fuselage section) * Dassault Falcon 900 B/EX (Rear fuselage section)
Source

Current leadership

* Chairman of the Board: Pierre Gadonneix * CEO: Thierry Mootz

In popular culture

The name Latécoère is part of a "mystique" in France around the beginning of aviation and adventurers. It is part of a famous song by

Henri Salvador Henri Salvador (18 July 1917 – 13 February 2008) was a French Caribbean comedian, singer and cabaret artist. Biography Salvador was born in Cayenne, French Guiana. His father, Clovis, and his mother, Antonine Paterne, daughter of a native C ...

, "''Jardin d'Hiver''", in its 3rd verse : :"Je voudrais du Fred Astaire :Revoir un Latécoère :Je voudrais toujours te plaire :Dans mon jardin d'hiver" A possibly even more popular (and arguably very gross) reference is found in ''Lola Rastaquouère'', a song by

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoc ...

, a famous and controversial French artist: :"Comment oses-tu me parler d'amour toi, hein :Toi qui n'as pas connu Lola Rastaquouère :Je lui faisais le plein comme au Latécoère :Qui décolle en vibrant vers les cieux africains" Latécoère is mentioned by name in the first sentence of Antoine de Saint Exupéry's famous autobiographical work, ''Wind, Sand, and Stars'', (1936) - from the English translation: "In 1926 I was enrolled as student airline pilot by the Latécoère Company, the predecessors of Aéropostale (now Air France) in the operation of the line between Toulouse, in southwestern France, and Dakar, in French West Africa."

References

External links

Company official website

Company official site

Profile
on Google Finance. {{DEFAULTSORT:Latecoere, Groupe Aerospace companies of France Aircraft manufacturers of France Manufacturing companies based in Toulouse French brands Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1917 French companies established in 1917 Companies listed on Euronext Paris