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{{Short description|1966–2015 French general aviation aircraft manufacturer}}
{{Redirect|Socata|the beverage|Socată}}
{{Infobox company 
|name = SOCATA
|logo = DAHER-SOCATA logo.png
|logo_size = 180px
|native_name = ''Société de construction d'avions de tourisme et d'affaires''
|former_name = {{ubl|SOCATA|EADS Socata|DAHER-SOCATA}}
|type = Private
|fate = Absorbed into Daher
|predecessor = [[Morane-Saulnier]]
|successor = [[Daher]] aircraft division
|founded = 1966
|founder = 
|location = [[Tarbes]], [[France]]
|key_people = 
|industry = [[Aerospace]]
|products = [[Fixed-wing aircraft]] and aircraft structures
|revenue = 
|operating_income = 
|net_income = 
|num_employees = 
|parent = {{ubl|Sud Aviation|Aérospatiale|EADS|[[Daher]]}}
|subsid =
|homepage = https://www.daher.com/en/aircraft-manufacturer/
|footnotes =
}}

'''SOCATA''' (later '''EADS Socata''' and '''DAHER-SOCATA''') was a French producer of [[general aviation]] aircraft propelled by [[piston engine]]s and [[turboprop]]s, including business planes, small personal or training aircraft, as well as the production of aircraft structures for other manufacturers such as [[Airbus]], [[Dassault]], [[Embraer]], [[Eurocopter]] and [[Lockheed Martin]]. The company had its headquarters, along with much of its production capabilities, located in [[Tarbes]], [[France]].

During 1966, the French aircraft manufacturer [[Morane-Saulnier]] changed its name to SOCATA (which is an [[abbreviation]] for ''Société de Construction d'Avions de Tourisme et d'Affaires'', French for "Company for the construction of aircraft for tourism and business") following its acquisition by [[Sud Aviation]]. During 2000, SOCATA became a wholly owned [[subsidiary]] of the multinational aerospace conglomerate [[EADS]]; shortly thereafter, the business was rebranded as ''EADS SOCATA''. On 3 November 2008, EADS and French technology business [[DAHER]] announced that they had reached a final agreement for DAHER to acquire a 70% stake in EADS SOCATA. In June 2014, DAHER announced that it had acquired the remaining 30% of EADS SOCATA from [[Airbus Group]] (formerly EADS). During March 2015, the SOCATA name fell out of use, the company's name having been changed to just ''Daher'' at this time as part of a rebranding to align the division with its parent company.

==History==

The history of SOCATA can be traced back to the founding of the French aircraft manufacturer [[Morane-Saulnier]] in 1911. During 1966, Morane-Saulnier changed its name to SOCATA (which is an [[abbreviation]] for ''Societe de Construction d'Avions de Tourisme et d'Affaires'', French for "Company for the construction of aircraft for tourism and business") following the company's acquisition by the state-owned aerospace interest [[Sud Aviation]]. During this period of ownership, SOCATA focused its activities on [[general aviation]], manufacturing thousands of light aircraft throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

[[File:Socata MS-880B Rallye Club Deurne.JPG|thumb|right|A SOCATA Rallye Club]]
One of the company's more popular products was the [[SOCATA Rallye family|Rallye family]] of general aircraft. During 1979, SOCATA decided to reorganise and rebrand much of its production programmes, one of the results of which being the renaming of the various models of Rallye series, each one receiving an individual, "more Gallic" name.<ref name="History">"[http://www.flyrallye.com/Rallye_History/rallye_history.html Rallye History]". ''Fly Rallye''. Retrieved 3 August 2008.</ref> During the 1980s, the Rallye was gradually superseded and phased out of production in France by the newer [[Socata TB]] series. During December 1984, the final Rallye of approximately 3,300 aircraft,<ref name="Donald world p804">Donald 1994, p. 804.</ref> an armed R235 Guerrier model, was delivered.<ref name="Janes 88 p84">Taylor 1988, p. 84.</ref> However, SOCATA's decision to terminate production in France was not the end of all manufacturing activity. During the 1970s, SOCATA had sold a [[licensed production|license for the production]] of the Rallye 100ST model to the Polish State aviation company [[Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze|PZL]], which led to the aircraft being independently constructed in its facilities in [[Warsaw]] as the ''PZL Koliber'' (''Humming Bird''). On 18 April 1978, the first PZL-built aircraft performed its maiden flight and, during the following year, quantity production of the Koliber commenced.<ref name="Janes 88 p193">Taylor 1988, p. 193.</ref>

[[File:Socata TB-9.jpg|thumb|Socata TB9 Tampico]]
During the mid-1970s, SOCATA commenced work on what would become the [[SOCATA TB family|TB family]] of general aircraft; a key ambition of this new product line was to entirely replace the firm's existing and highly successful Rallye series. As intended, throughout 1979, production of the Rallye family was drawn down as production of the new family ramped up; the initial entry models of which were designated as the ''TB-9 Tampico'' and the ''TB-10 Tobago''.<ref name = "moxon 93 33">Moxon 20 July 1993, p. 33.</ref> On 18 December 1980, an improved model of the aircraft, designated as the ''TB20'', was awarded its [[type certification]] by the French aviation authorities. During March 1981, the first delivery of a production TB20 was completed to a [[Germany|German]] customer. Various improved models of the TB series were subsequently developed.<ref name = "moxon 93 33"/>

SOCATA adopted a straightforward assembly philosophy at its final assembly facility in Tarbes, choosing to only complete a given aircraft after having already received an order for it.<ref name = "moxon 93 33"/> Basic airframes would be produced in advance and finished upon order, allowing for customer-specified modifications and optional equipment to be installed as per their demands. While the type was completed upon a single assembly line at the facility, all models, low and top end alike, were finished upon the same line.<ref name = "moxon 93 33"/> At the start of 1993, SOCATA was manufacturing around 12 aircraft of the TB series per month, by the middle of the year, this had dipped to roughly 8 aircraft per month.<ref name = "moxon 93 33"/>

During the 1980s, SOCATA, having identified a vacant market position for a purpose-built optimised single-engine aircraft capable of fast personal transport and light cargo duties, became interested in the piston-powered [[Mooney 301]] light aircraft of the [[Mooney Airplane Company]].<ref name="AIFeb06">Simpson, Rob. "TBM 850: EADS Socata challenges the Very Light Jets". ''[[Air International]]'', February 2006, Vol 70 No 2, pp.&nbsp;28–31. {{ISSN|0306-5634}}/, p. 28-29.</ref><ref name=FlyingApril2003>{{cite magazine |first = J. Mac |last = McClellan |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zXLZEaGftB4C&pg=PA64 |title = TBM 700C2 |magazine = [[Flying (magazine)|Flying]] |date = April 2003 |volume = 130 |number = 4 |issn = 0015-4806 |pages = 64–70 |access-date = 2017-02-15 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170217113620/https://books.google.com/books?id=zXLZEaGftB4C&pg=PA64 |archive-date = 2017-02-17 |url-status = live }}</ref> Accordingly, talks commenced between Mooney and SOCATA on the subject of producing a [[turboprop]]-powered derivative of the 301.<ref name="AIFeb06"/> The product that emerged from these discussions was a new design, referred to as the ''TBM 700'', which was considerably heavier than the original 301 while provisioned with more than twice the available power. The prefix of the designation, ''TBM'', originated from the initials "TB", which stands for [[Tarbes]], the French city in which SOCATA is located, while the "M" stands for Mooney.<ref name="AIFeb06"/> At the time of its conception, while several aviation companies had studied or were otherwise considering the development of such an aircraft, the envisioned TBM 700 was the first high-performance single-engine passenger/cargo aircraft to enter production.<!--ref name=FlyingApril2003/--> From the onset, key performance criteria were established, demanding a high level of reliability while also being capable of an unequalled speed/altitude combination amongst the TBM 700 other single-engined peers.<ref name=FlyingApril2003/>

[[File:Socata TBM 700 Private N97RN, LUX Luxembourg (Findel), Luxembourg PP1369480421.jpg|thumb|left|A TBM 700]]

Consequently, during June 1987, a [[joint venture]], named ''TBM International'', was established with the aim of completing development of the TBM 700 design and to perform the manufacture of the new aircraft; the ownership of the joint venture was divided between Mooney and SOCATA's then parent company, [[Aérospatiale]].<ref name="AIFeb06"/><ref name="JAWA88">[[John W. R. Taylor|Taylor, John W. R.]] ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89''. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. {{ISBN|0-7106-0867-5}}</ref>{{rp|135}} A pair of separate production lines for the TBM 700 were planned, one located at Mooney's facility in Kerrville, Texas, which was intended to cater to the American market, and the other based at SOCATA's factory in Tarbes, which was set to produce aircraft for customers throughout the rest of the world.<ref name=FlyingApril2003/> However, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Mooney was afflicted by persistent fiscal shortfalls; consequently, in May 1991, Mooney chose to withdraw from participation in the joint venture, leaving SOCATA as the primary company involved in the programme.<ref name="AIFeb06"/>

On 14 July 1988, the first TBM 700 prototype conducted the type's [[maiden flight]].<ref name="JAWA88"/>{{rp|135}}<ref name=FlyingApril2003/> Flight testing proved that virtually all of the established goals of the design had been achieved, leading to quick progress towards production. On 31 January 1990, [[Type certificate|type certification]] was received from French authorities; it was followed by the awarding of US [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) certification on 28 August 1990.<ref name="AIFeb06"/> During early 1990, the first delivery of a TBM 700 occurred; the first production batch of 50 aircraft were sold out almost instantly.<!--ref name=FlyingApril2003/--> Early feedback received from operators and pilots was typically positive about the capabilities of the new aircraft, often praising its speed and generous power margins amongst other attributes.<ref name=FlyingApril2003/> According to aerospace publication ''[[Flying (magazine)|Flying]]'', while the TBM 700 had rapidly proved popular and a good aircraft on its own merits, the services and support facilities SOCATA provided were an initial point of weakness.<ref name=FlyingApril2003/> SOCATA, recognising the critical importance of an effective support infrastructure, invested heavily in improving worldwide support for the type; instead of being solely reliant upon third parties and partnership arrangements with other companies, the firm developed their own facilities.<ref name=FlyingApril2003/> SOCATA opened its own service center in [[Florida]], as well as establishing a network of [[distributor]]s capable of both sales and services for the TBM 700. Consequently, during the late 1990s, sales of the type within the [[North America]]n market rose dramatically.<ref name=FlyingApril2003/>

During 2000, SOCATA became a wholly owned [[subsidiary]] of the multinational aerospace conglomerate [[EADS]]; shortly thereafter, the business was rebranded as ''EADS SOCATA''. On 27 June 2008, EADS announced its intention to sell a controlling interest in EADS SOCATA to French technology business [[DAHER]], but would retain a minority stake in the company.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2008/06/27/afx5160729.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604011456/http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2008/06/27/afx5160729.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 2011-06-04 |title = EADS to complete partial Socata sale to Daher within days |publisher = Forbes / Thomson Financial News |date = June 2008 |access-date = 2 July 2008}}</ref> On 3 November 2008, EADS and DAHER announced that they had reached a final agreement for DAHER to acquire a 70% stake in EADS SOCATA.<ref name="EADS">{{cite web |url=http://www.eads.net/1024/en/pressdb/pressdb/EADS/20081103_eads_socata_daher.html |title=Final agreement between EADS and the Daher group for Daher to take a majority interest in EADS Socata |publisher=EADS |accessdate=4 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424075124/http://www.eads.net/1024/en/pressdb/pressdb/EADS/20081103_eads_socata_daher.html |archive-date=24 April 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On 7 January 2009, DAHER confirmed its acquisition of a majority 70% stake in SOCATA.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?prod=101133&session=dae.44058358.1231424959.d00F638AAAEAAB3EqvEAAAA7&modele=release |title = DAHER Group Confirms Signature of SOCATA Takeover Deal with EADS |publisher = defense-aerospace.com |date = January 2009}}</ref>

During late 2009, it was announced that EADS SOCATA had finalised an agreement with a private company, JetSet International Ltd, for the sale of the [[type certificate]], tooling, components, engineering plans and drawings for the [[Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris]], a [[jet propulsion|jet-powered]] [[business jet]] developed by SOCATA's predecessor. The firm had separately purchased in excess of 30 retired MS760s from the French and Argentinian governments;<ref>[http://www.wingsmagazine.com/content/view/3495/132/ "JetSet acquires MS760 jet type certificate."] ''Wings Magazine'', 23 October 2009.</ref> JetSet International Ltd reportedly had ambitions to refurbish these existing airframes and to install current-generation jet engines and avionics for the purpose of selling them on to operators for approximately $550,000.<ref>[http://www.aopa.org/nbaa/2009/091020paris.html] ''AOPA Online'', 20 October 2009.</ref>

In June 2014, [[Daher]] announced that it had acquired the remaining 30% of EADS SOCATA from [[Airbus Group]] (formerly EADS), making it a wholly owned subsidiary of the company.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.airbus.com/content/dam/corporate-topics/strategy/governance/Registration-Document-2014.pdf |title = Registration Document |publisher = Airbus Group |date = 2014 |page = 23}}</ref> During March 2015, use of the SOCATA name was formally discontinued, the division having been rebranded as just ''Daher'' to more closely align itself with its new parent company.<ref name="Bertorelli23Mar15">{{cite news |url = http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/101/3021.html?ET=avweb:e3021:308480a:&st=email |title = Daher Rebrands, Opens New Facility In Florida |accessdate = 23 March 2015 |last = Bertorelli |first = Paul |date = 23 March 2015 |work = AVweb}}</ref>

==Products==
[[File:Socata TB-10 Tobago GT owned by Martinair Vliegschool.jpg|right|thumb|EADS Socata TB 10 Tobago GT owned by [[Martinair]] flying school]]
[[File:TBM-850.jpg|thumb|right|EADS Socata TBM 850 at the [[Paris Air Show]] 2007]]

* [[Socata Horizon]]
* [[Socata Rallye|Rallye series]]
* [[Socata ST 10|ST 10 Diplomate]]
* [[Socata TB 30 Epsilon|TB 30 Epsilon]]
* [[Socata TB|TB 9 Tampico GT]]
* [[Socata TB|TB 10 Tobago GT]]
* [[Socata TB|TB 200 Tobago XL GT]]
* [[Socata TB|TB 20 Trinidad GT]]
* [[Socata TB|TB 21 Trinidad TC GT]]
* [[Socata TBM|TBM 700/850/900/910/930]]

;Aircraft that never entered production:
* [[Socata TB 31 Omega|TB 31 Omega]]
* [[Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar|TB 360 Tangara]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Donald, David (editor). ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Leicester, UK: Blitz, 1997. {{ISBN|1-85605-375-X}}.
* Moxon, Julian. [https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1993/1993%20-%201725.html "Private Preparations."] ''Flight International'', 20 July 1993. pp.&nbsp;32–35.
* Taylor, John W. R. (editor). ''Jane's All the Worlds Aircraft 1988–89''. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1988. {{ISBN|0-7106-0867-5}}.

==External links==
{{commons category|Socata}}
* {{Official website|https://www.daher.com/en/aircraft-manufacturer/}}

{{SOCATA aircraft}}
{{Aircraft manufacturers of France}}

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[[Category:Multinational aircraft manufacturers]]
[[Category:Aircraft manufacturers of France]]
[[Category:Aircraft component manufacturers of France]]
[[Category:Companies based in Occitania (administrative region)]]
[[Category:French companies established in 1966]]