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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENNA 000180 
 
SIPDIS, SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR EIND ETTC TSPL AU
SUBJECT: Profile of Top Aeronautics Producers in Austria 
 
REF: A) 2009 Vienna 1287 B) 2009 Vienna 1382 
 
VIENNA 00000180  001.4 OF 003 
 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified - Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: This cable profiles four leading-edge aeronautics 
companies in Austria -- FACC, Diamond, Schiebel and Frequentis -- to 
illustrate how this export-driven industry has adapted to the 
dramatic aviation slowdown.  Austrian firms have increasingly turned 
to foreign partnerships and investment (including by Chinese 
companies) to gain access to protected markets and to obtain the 
capital necessary to finance survival and expansion. This 
globalization will likely improve prospects for U.S. partnerships 
but continues to raise technology control issues.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Given its small domestic market, Austria's aeronautics 
industry has always been heavily dependent on exports.  High-tech 
industrial producers in Austria such as Pankl (high-performance 
transmissions), BRP Rotax (piston engines), and Isovolta (laminates) 
have long had distribution partners and/or subsidiaries in Europe 
and North America for logistical and marketing reasons.  In the past 
few years, the industry has begun using foreign partnerships to 
acquire capital and overcome local-content regulations in regions 
such as China, the Middle East, and the United States.  Four 
companies that epitomize this trend: 
 
FACC 
- - - 
 
¶3. (SBU) In December 2009, the Chinese Xi'an Aircraft Industry 
Company (XAC) bought 91.25% of the shares of FACC (formerly Fischer 
Advanced Composite Components), a leading producer of high-tech 
composite systems for Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, and Pratt & 
Whitney (Ref A). Industry expert Franz Hrachowitz told Emboffs that 
an industry trend towards fewer (but larger) suppliers had forced 
FACC into expansion mode -- and to expand, FACC needed the capital 
provided by the Chinese deal.  Because the components produced by 
FACC for Boeing and Airbus are subject to U.S. and EU rules on 
technology transfer, FACC and XAC had to establish a "firewall" in 
order finalize the takeover:  reportedly this firewall consists of a 
new Austrian holding company (Aerospace Innovation Investment GmbH) 
which stands between the FACC staff and its XAC owners.  He noted, 
however, that company insiders are still concerned about potential 
export control issues.  In an earlier 2009 deal, FACC agreed to 
build a composite manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi in partnership 
with the Mubadala Development Company.  According to Hrachowitz, 
some Mubadala representatives are unhappy dealing with Chinese 
partners rather than FACC.  FACC will transfer to Abu Dhabi the 
manufacturing of some spoilers and flap track fairings for 
A330/340/380 for Middle Eastern customers. 
 
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT 
- - - - - - - - - 
 
¶4. (SBU) Headquartered in Wiener Neustadt, Diamond claims to be the 
market leader in building small twin-engine aircraft, with a 
complete line of 2-5 seaters.  Recently the company has started 
building highly efficient diesel aircraft engines (extending range, 
particular since Diamond's planes don't need specialized aviation 
fuel).  While Diamond's planes are primarily sold for training and 
recreation purposes, they are starting to be used in civilian 
surveillance.  In the last two years, the firm has sold planes to 
academies in China (50), Saudi Arabia (20), India (16), the U.S. 
(10), and Thailand (6); press reports in early January said Diamond 
had won a large order in Russia.  To enter the Chinese market (where 
foreign investment in aviation is tightly controlled), Diamond 
partnered with Shandong Bin AO Aircraft Industries in 2006, building 
a plant outside Beijing to assemble up to 1000 aircraft per year. 
(COMMENT: Perhaps not coincidentally, Diamond did a major upgrade of 
its cyber-security in 2005/2006, aimed at preventing industrial 
espionage.  END COMMENT)  Despite solid sales, industry observers 
say Diamond is currently losing money due to the high R&D costs for 
its new small jet and diesel engines, and relies on military sales 
(reportedly 30% of revenue) to stay afloat.  NOTE: Diamond has had a 
troubled compliance history with regard to U.S. export control 
regulations: in November 2008, two Diamond aircraft  were 
confiscated by U.S. Customs in Bangor/Maine for carrying 
non-licensed infrared cameras en route to delivery in Venezuela (Ref 
B). 
 
SCHIEBEL INDUSTRIES 
- - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶5. (SBU) As the sole manufacturer of high-quality unmanned 
surveillance helicopters ("Camcopters"), Schiebel has a unique 
segment of the UAV market.  While most of its sales have been to 
military users, Schiebel is planning to expand its sales into 
civilian applications such as pipeline surveillance, border control 
and traffic management.  We were told that Schiebel has found 
marketing the Camcopter worldwide to be an expensive and unwieldy 
 
VIENNA 00000180  002.4 OF 003 
 
 
process, and as a result is seeking more capital investment. 
Schiebel signed a teaming agreement with Boeing in August 2009 to 
promote its Camcopter in the North American market:  Camcopter 
production will remain for now in Austria (Wiener Neustadt) but 
Schiebel is opening a joint support hub with Boeing and will set up 
a U.S. assembly facility if sales warrant it.  In 2007, Schiebel 
partnered with UAE's UAV Research and Technology Center to win a 
major contract.  The jointly owned Abu Dhabi production facility has 
produced about 60 helicopters so far for the UAE military (NOTE: the 
UAE apparently capped foreign investment at 49%). 
 
FREQUENTIS 
- - - - - - 
 
¶6. (SBU) Frequentis is the world's leading manufacturer of air 
traffic communication systems.  Unlike the other three firms in the 
business, Frequentis has not teamed with a foreign partner to open a 
production facility, but rather has created wholly owned 
subsidiaries in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Romania, Singapore, 
Slovakia and the UK. Interestingly, Frequentis has confined software 
development largely to Vienna and nearby Bratislava, because, 
according to airport-aviation expert, Wolfgang Gallistl, Frequentis' 
technological advantage lies largely in software rather than 
hardware.  An exception to Frequentis' centralized control is its 
U.S. subsidiary: because of 'buy America' requirements, Frequentis 
had to structure 'Frequentis USA' to do its own designing, 
manufacturing, and life cycle support.  In 2004, the U.S. Defense 
Department's security regulations led Frequentis to set up 
'Frequentis Defense' under a special security agreement in order to 
win military and homeland security contracts.  Frequentis' only 
foreign joint venture 'GroupEAD' was formed with the Spanish and 
German national air control entities AENA and DFS in order to win 
EUROCONTROL contracts.  Recently Frequentis has worked with Cisco to 
increase system interoperability and has sought to expand into rail, 
maritime, and emergency/security communications systems. 
 
The Homebodies 
- - - - - - - - 
 
¶7. (SBU) By contrast, Austrian aeronautic metal producers have made 
relatively few foreign partnerships.  AMAG Metall produces high 
quality, rolled aluminum while Boehler Schmiedetechnik produces 
highly stressed and forged steel and titanium components for 
airplane manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Lockheed 
Martin, Embraer, Fokker and Cessna.  WFL Millturn Technologies (a 
spin-off from Voest Alpine) specializes in making precision milled 
aeronautical components.  An exception is MCE Stahl/Maschinenbau, a 
multinational steel producer headquartered in Linz.  German firm 
Deutsche Beteiligungs became sole owner of MCE Stahl in 2008, and 
MCE has since moved some production to Germany (for instance, MCE 
recently won a EUR 70 million contract to help build Airbus 350 XWB 
fuselages, with work to be performed in Germany). 
 
A Strong Research Base 
- - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶8. (U) Austria's aeronautics industry has grown from sales of about 
EUR 50 million in 1990 to EUR 800 million in 2008 due in part to the 
industry's own internal investment of 12% of revenues.  The industry 
gives little credit to government investment in R&D even though the 
GoA likes to boast of its "Take Off" program (see 
www.bmvit.gv.at/innovation/downloads/takeoff. pdf ). However industry 
does say government-supported research centers have helped Austria 
maintain its technological edge.  In order of importance, they are: 
- The Advanced Materials and Aerospace Technology Division 
(www.advanced-materials.at) of the Austrian Institute of Technology 
in Seibersdorf studies advanced composites and alloy development for 
aviation applications, but much of its work is aimed at space 
applications. 
- The FH Joanneum Research Center (http://www.fh-joanneum.at), based 
at the University of Graz, has an aviation R&D program which studies 
air traffic control technologies, navigation, flight data analysis 
and aviation psychology. 
- The Polymer Competence Center (www.pccl.at) in Leoben focuses on 
advances in plastics engineering. 
- The Light Metal Competence Center (www.LKR.at) in Ranshofen 
researches light aluminum and magnesium alloys for vehicle 
lightweight construction. 
 
Surviving the Downturn 
- - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶9. (U) Gallistl predicts more rough years for the aeronautics 
industry (not just in Austria) -- with Europe-wide general aviation 
sales down 30%, and commercial aviation off 8-10% in passenger 
terms, and down 25% in revenue terms. Gallistl also foresees a 
shakeout among European aeronautics suppliers as quality and 
financial concerns drive major companies to gain more "vertical 
control" of their business. 
 
VIENNA 00000180  003.4 OF 003 
 
 
 
COMMENT: Too Close For Comfort? 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶10. (SBU) Austria's most established aeronautics firms appear strong 
enough to weather the downtown while the shakier rising stars such 
as Diamond and Schiebel have recently gained entry into promising 
markets (China and the U.S. respectively) via foreign partnerships. 
However, the hunger for capital and market access may cause some 
aeronautic companies to get "too close for comfort" to 
technology-hungry foreign partners, leading to technology loss -- 
and potentially legal issues of technology control/compliance.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
EACHO