Safran has announced the creation of Safran Tech UK, the group’s first Research and Technology (R&T) centre outside France. The move forms part of Safran’s strategy to support its growing presence in the United Kingdom and marks the first step in the global expansion of its R&T activities.
With a 90-year history in the country, strengthened through a series of acquisitions of leading companies, Safran significantly expanded its UK footprint following the integration of the actuation and flight control businesses acquired from Collins Aerospace in mid-2025. The group has now become the UK’s third-largest civil aerospace player, employing more than 5,500 people across 14 sites and generating annual revenue of £1.5 billion.
Safran’s UK operations now cover a wide range of products for civil and military aviation, including aircraft landing gear, seats, actuators and flight controls, nacelles, helicopter engines and electrical equipment. Its principal sites span the entire value chain, from research and technology, design and engineering to manufacturing, maintenance and MRO services.
The establishment of Safran Tech UK reflects the group’s ambition to harness the UK’s dynamic innovation ecosystem to help address key industry challenges, most notably the decarbonisation of aviation, which represents 75% of Safran’s R&T investment.
Safran Tech UK will spearhead the development of new technologies in two strategic areas central to the group’s UK activities: the electrification of propulsion and actuation systems for next-generation aircraft, and the advancement of high-performance composite materials.
