Fairchild Controls

The U.S. based supplier of fluid valves and environmental controls is among the last vestiges of French industrialist Jean-Luc Lagardere's expansion into the U.S. defence and commercial satellite market, through the 1989 acquisition of the defence and space activities of Fairchild Industries.

Lagardere's Matra missiles company sold most of the Fairchild assets in the 1990s and later helped to found EADS, recently renamed Airbus Group. Fairchild Controls was active in the U.S. Space Shuttle programme and was last month named supplier of the year in its category by Airbus's rival Boeing.

Its sale would also sever Airbus's remaining ties with the U.S. KC-46A aerial tanker programme, a $35 billion project to supply the Pentagon with aerial tankers that Airbus lost to Boeing, but for which Fairchild Controls remains a supplier.

Rostock System-Technik (RST)

Originally founded in 1977 to support shipbuilding projects for the East German Navy, the company makes cabin training mock-ups and simulators for airlines such as Qatar Airways, which has ordered door trainers for the Airbus A380 and the new A350.

The firm, which has 150 employees, says it operates a test bed for maritime applications for Europe's Galileo satellite positioning system in the former East German port of Rostock.

AvDef

Airbus's little-known in-house charter airline specializes in transporting people and freight on demand and training future French military pilots from its base in southern France.

Airbus Group owns 80 percent of Pentastar, a military training and services venture which owns 55 percent of AvDef with UK defence contractor Cobham owning the rest.

In 2010, Airbus's then defence boss pointed to AvDef as part of its strategy to boost its presence in services. But with a staff of about 40 and revenues reported to be around 15 million euros, it is looking for new growth to cope with defence cuts.

ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH (ESG)

Airbus Defence & Space owns 30 percent of the Munich-based systems and software company, which has 1,600 staff and posted 2013 revenues of 258 million euros. France's Thales also owns 30 percent and a German unit of Northrop Grumman owns 10 percent of the company, which serves the automobile and aerospace industries and the German military.

Atlas Elektronik

Airbus Group, then known as EADS, teamed up with German engineering firm ThyssenKrupp to buy the submarine supplier from BAE Systems in 2005. German media speculate France's Thales could launch a fresh approach for Airbus's stake, having lost out in 2005 when the German government reportedly blocked its bid on national security grounds. Former shareholder Rheinmetall has also been cited as a potential suitor for the sonar and torpedo maker, which has around 2,000 employees and revenues of over 400 million euros. Airbus Group is likely to discuss the stake with ThyssenKrupp first, however.

Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) assets

EADS bought the TETRA-based secure radio assets of Nokia in 2005, ending a battle over digital standards with its own TETRAPOL technology and predicting a global market of 10 billion euros over 5 years. The business competes with Motorola to supply users such as police and security forces. Airbus Group is also considering selling commercial satellite communications services but will keep all government satellite communications activities including Paradigm, which links the UK armed forces.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Mark Potter)