{ "title": "Aerospace group Sonaca posts record figures amid rise in defence spending", "modified_at": "2026-05-26 09:16:31", "published_at": "2026-05-26 09:16:00", "url": "https://www.belganewsagency.eu/aerospace-group-sonaca-posts-record-figures-amid-rise-in-defence-spending", "short_url": "http://prez.ly/5zHd", "culture": "en_BE", "language": "EN", "slug": "aerospace-group-sonaca-posts-record-figures-amid-rise-in-defence-spending", "body": "

Aerospace and defence company Sonaca posted record figures last year. Turnover is set to rise further this year to 1.3 billion euros, partly thanks to the production of tail wings for F-35 fighter jets, De Tijd reports.

The boom in defence spending has opened up prospects for the company, based in Charleroi, which specialises in the design and manufacture of aircraft components. Last year, it generated 72 million euros in turnover from military contracts. That figure is expected to rise to 92 million this year, and over 100 million the following year.

“That puts us among the big names in the Belgian defence sector. We want to play a role in European military autonomy,” CEO Yves Delatte told De Tijd.

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Sonaca’s turnover rose by 22 per cent last year to 849 million euros. Gross operating profit rose by a quarter to 95 million.

The company – in a joint venture with the Belgian firms Asco and Sabca – is involved in the production and assembly of horizontal stabilisers for the F-35, manufactured by the American firm Lockheed Martin. Belgium has placed an order for 34 jets.

In preparation for the contract, Sonaca has invested tens of millions in a new production hall. The joint venture is set to supply 400 sets of these tail fins over more than 10 years, and the first finished unit is due to roll off the production line this week.

"We want to play a role in European military autonomy"

For the A400M, a military transport and refuelling aircraft manufactured by Airbus, Sonaca supplies the covers for the main landing gear. The company is also the only Belgian firm involved in the European project to develop a missile defence system against hypersonic weapons, where it is responsible for the structural design of the interceptor missile.

Delatte acknowledges, however, that Sonaca's annual targets were even higher. “We have delivered a solid performance in a difficult operational context,” he says. “But we have not achieved the expected results.”

The company experienced problems with the supply of basic components, in particular rivets, which have put pressure on the Belgian site’s production capacity.

 

Workers pictured during a royal visit to Sonaca in Gosselies, Charleroi, 21 April 2026 © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM

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