FILE PHOTO – Visitors flock to the booth of Thales at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. (is associated with: «Thales plans to take full control of Exail Technologies in €3.9bn deal») Christian Charisius/dpa
French aerospace and defence firm Thales said on Monday that it has agreed to acquire the Gorgé family’s 35.51% stake in defence technology company Exail Technologies.
It said it has agreed to acquire the stake at €134 ($153) per share and intends to take full control via a mandatory tender offer for the remaining shares.
The offer values Exail at an enterprise value of approximately €3.9 billion and represents a 44% premium to the company’s unaffected share price on June 25, 2026.
The acquisition of the Gorgé family’s stake is expected to close by the third quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory and antitrust approvals.
Following the completion of that transaction, Thales intends to launch a mandatory tender offer for all remaining Exail shares and ODIRNANE bonds, with completion expected by early 2028 at the latest.
Thales said acquiring Exail, which had reported €479 million in revenue in 2025, would bolster its capabilities in underwater warfare, maritime drones, inertial navigation and quantum sensors. The company expects the deal to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in the first year after closing.
Thales chief executive officer Patrice Caine said: “With this acquisition, Thales and Exail plan to join forces. Together, thanks to our talents and capabilities, we will strengthen our high-technology industrial base and innovation for our world-class defence and civil customers, while reinforcing Europe’s technological sovereignty.”