Airbus has acquired Quarkslab, a French offensive-and-defensive cyber specialist, its third cyber-defence acquisition after buying German firm Infodas in 2024 and British encryption specialist Ultra last month. The deal expands Airbus's cyber workforce for the defence and intelligence sectors to 1,600 people, adding 300 new experts from Quarkslab. The acquisition is led by Alix Carmona, head of cybersecurity at Airbus Defence and Space.
Quarkslab, founded by former Airbus engineer Frédéric Raynal, specialises in code obfuscation - techniques that turn software into "black boxes" to counter AI-driven intrusions - and has been selected by Google to test product vulnerabilities. Airbus already integrates Quarkslab's Qshield product into its helicopters and satellites to prevent reverse engineering and protect intellectual property. The deal comes three years after Airbus tried and failed to acquire Atos's defence cyber business.
Airbus's earlier acquisition of Ultra, from UK aeronautics group Cobham, brings high-level encryption and key management used across the Five Eyes alliance (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) and NATO, including air-ground communications encryption. Infodas, bought in 2024 with its 250 experts, secures communication gateways between security levels in armed forces (e.g. restricted vs secret). It was intended to support pan-European programmes like SCAF (the Franco-German-Spanish fighter). Airbus also secures France's RIFAN and Syracuse defence satellite communications systems, and contributes to Europe's Iris2 constellation. Source: Les Echos, 21 April 2026, Anne Drif.
The story in one line. Airbus’s third cyber-defence acquisition in two years brings its defence cybersecurity workforce to 1,600 experts, positioning the group as the “digital shield of Europe” for armed forces.
Key numbers
- 300 new experts from Quarkslab
- 1,600 total Airbus cyber workforce for defence after the deal
- 3 acquisitions in the recent series: Infodas (Germany, 2024), Ultra (UK, March 2026), Quarkslab (France, April 2026)
- 250 Infodas experts specialised in secure communication gateways
- Five Eyes + NATO : Ultra’s customer footprint via air-ground encryption
- Double-digit growth targeted for Airbus defence cyber division
- Google used Quarkslab as a test team to identify product vulnerabilities
Why it matters
Cyber is the fastest-growing defence segment, and Europe’s aerospace primes are racing to build capabilities in-house rather than depending on US or hyperscaler providers. Airbus has now assembled a portfolio that spans code obfuscation (Quarkslab), secure gateways (Infodas), high-end encryption (Ultra) and secure satcom (Syracuse, Iris2). The acquisitions back up Airbus’s ambition to be the go-to provider for “sovereign” cyber capability - a political priority as European governments grow warier of US technology dependence.
Takeaway
Airbus is executing a clear roll-up strategy in European cyber defence, plugging every gap between edge devices (satellites, helicopters) and command-and-control. Quarkslab’s obfuscation tech is a specific defence against AI-driven reverse engineering - a clear next-gen concern. Expect more bolt-ons: Carmona told Les Echos she is keeping “a sharp eye on market opportunities”, and the European “digital shield” narrative aligns with the direction of EU defence spending.
Source: Les Echos, 21 April 2026, Anne Drif.