The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. (EADS) was a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation that operated 2000–2013 and was registered in the Netherlands. The group included Airbus which manufactured commercial aircraft, Airbus Military which manufactured tanker, transport and mission aircraft; Eurocopter, the world's largest helicopter supplier; Astrium, provided systems for aerial, land, naval and civilian security applications including Ariane, Galileo and Cassidian. Through Cassidian, EADS was a partner in the Eurofighter consortium as well as in the missile systems provider MBDA.
EADS was formed on 10 July 2000 by the merger of Aérospatiale-Matra, Daimler Chrysler Aerospace AG (DASA), and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). The company developed and marketed civil and military aircraft, as well as communications systems, missiles, space rockets, satellites, and related systems. In 2012, the EADS generated revenues of €56.48 billion and employed 143,358 personnel.
In January 2014, EADS was reorganised as Airbus Group, with three divisions (Airbus, Airbus Defence and Space, and Airbus Helicopters.