The European aerospace group Airbus has closed an agreement to take over the French cybersecurity firm Quarkslab, as the company communicated this Tuesday through an official note.
This is the second operation of this type carried out in less than a month by the Airbus Defence and Space division, with which it aims to strengthen its role as a benchmark sovereign partner for both French and European authorities in digital security.
The closing of the purchase is planned throughout 2026 and is conditioned on consultation with worker representatives, as well as obtaining the necessary regulatory authorizations.
With this incorporation, Airbus seeks to reinforce its "digital shield" strategy in the European sphere.
Technological Reinforcement and Commitment to European Sovereignty
Quarkslab, created in 2011 and with about 100 employees distributed between Paris and Rennes, focuses its activity on the protection of critical assets against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
Among its main developments is QShield, a solution conceived to shield software and peripheral components —especially in the defense and aerospace sectors— against Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based threats and against reverse engineering techniques.
"The experience of Quarkslab will strengthen a resilient cyber sovereign actor in France and throughout Europe," noted François Lombard, director of the Connected Intelligence business unit of Airbus Defence and Space.
For his part, Fred Raynal, founder and CEO of Quarkslab, emphasizes that Airbus is among the few players capable of scaling its solutions for critical infrastructures and public administrations.
Pan-European Expansion in Cybersecurity
The acquisition of Quarkslab is part of Airbus's recent growth strategy in the digital security business. In 2024, it acquired Infodas in Germany and, in March of this year, announced the planned acquisition of Ultra Cyber Ltd in the United Kingdom.
After these operations, Airbus Defence and Space configures a cybersecurity network with a prominent presence in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, and Finland, mainly aimed at providing support to armed forces, public institutions, and government agencies.
Until the time of the acquisition, Quarkslab —which since 2020 had the backing of asset manager Tikehau Capital— was already acting as a supplier and strategic partner for Airbus.
Its complete integration will allow uniting academic research with concrete applications in the field of R&D linked to defense.