Daimler-Benz Aerospace

Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG (DASA) was a major German aerospace and defense conglomerate that existed from 1989 to 2000, serving as the aerospace subsidiary of automotive giant Daimler-Benz AG (later DaimlerChrysler). Founded on May 19, 1989, DASA was created through the strategic merger of Daimler-Benz's aerospace interests with MTU München and Dornier Flugzeugwerke, subsequently acquiring rival manufacturer Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) in December 1989 to consolidate approximately 80% of German industrial aerospace capabilities. Headquartered in Ottobrunn near Munich, Germany, the company employed over 55,700 workers and generated annual revenues of DM 15.03 billion by the mid-1990s, representing about $7 billion of Germany's $13.9 billion total aeronautics sales in 1992. DASA was heavily invested in research and development, spending approximately $3.3 billion annually (30% of total sales revenue) on R&D activities. The company's portfolio encompassed commercial aircraft manufacturing through its 37.9% controlling stake in Airbus, military aircraft programs including the multinational Eurofighter Typhoon and Panavia Tornado fighter-bomber, space systems development, helicopter manufacturing through a 40% stake in Eurocopter (formed in 1992 through merger with Aérospatiale's helicopter division), and defense systems. DASA also held strategic partnerships including a 40% stake in Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker and was involved in early feasibility studies for what would become the Airbus A380 super-jumbo aircraft. The company was renamed DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG in November 1998 following the Daimler-Benz and Chrysler merger. DASA's relatively brief but impactful existence ended on July 10, 2000, when it merged with France's Aérospatiale-Matra and Spain's CASA to form the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), creating the world's third-largest aerospace company with $22 billion in annual sales and establishing the foundation for what would eventually become Airbus Group and later Airbus SE.