French President François Hollande has inaugurated Safran Electronics & Defense's new Research & Development centre in Eragny-sur-Oise, in the Val d'Oise department north of Paris. This new facility is described as the leading research centre in Europe for inertial navigation and tactical drones.

Joining President Hollande at the inauguration ceremony on 5th October were Ross McInnes, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Safran, Philippe Petitcolin, CEO of Safran, and Martin Sion, CEO of Safran Electronics & Defense.

Safran, through Safran Electronics & Defense (formerly Sagem) kicked off this project in 2013 to consolidate all of its R&D capabilities in the Val d'Oise department concerning key technologies for French national sovereignty: inertial navigation systems for military and civil applications, precision guidance systems, tactical information systems and long-endurance surveillance drone systems.

Safran has invested over €35m in the expansion and modernization of the facility, in conjunction with local authorities. The site now houses teams and equipment from Safran Electronics & Defense's former Argenteuil plant. The organization has also been revamped to bolster cross-disciplinary synergies.

The site now counts 1,200 employees, three-quarters of whom are engineers and management, including 42 doctoral scientists and candidates. Sixty new employees were hired in 2015 and the total workforce could reach 1,400 thanks to the development of the new Patroller tactical drone and work on homing and guidance systems.

The new facility is dedicated to R&D, and its work is eligible for research tax credits. Capable of filing several dozen patents a year, it will work on major aerospace and defence projects in France and international markets for which Safran Electronics & Defense is prime contractor or equipment supplier.