Airbus Acquires Quarkslab to Counter AI Reverse Engineering

Airbus plans to purchase a small French cybersecurity vendor to protect software against artificial intelligence threats and safeguard data, secrets and code.

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The Dutch aircraft manufacturer said its proposed acquisition of Paris-based Quarkslab will boost Airbus’ position as a trusted, sovereign partner for French authorities and strengthening the firm’s presence in the European cybersecurity landscape. Quarkslab’s QShield offering secures edge components in the defense and aerospace industries from being reverse engineered by attackers or AI, according to Airbus.

“Quarkslab’s deep expertise and team are expected … reinforce a resilient, sovereign cyber player in France and across Europe,” François Lombard, head of Connected Intelligence business unit at Airbus Defence and Space, said in a statement. “This acquisition will strengthen our ability to build the digital shield required to help keep our home nations and allies ahead in the cybersecurity domain.”

Quarkslab, founded in 2011, employs approximately 100 people and has been backed by global alternative asset manager Tikehau Capital since 2020. The company has been led since its inception by Fred Raynal, who previously spent 19 months leading cybersecurity R&D at an Airbus subsidiary between 2004 and 2006 and more than five years leading cybersecurity R&D at Capgemini subsidiary Sogeti.

“By going back to my roots at Airbus, where I first started professionally in cyber, I hope to extend the reach of Quarkslab,” Raynal said in a statement. “Europe needs stronger actors, and I believe Airbus is one of the few able to help us to scale for critical infrastructures and governments.”

Airbus and Quarkslab executives weren’t immediately available for additional comment over the telephone.

Quarkslab is already an Airbus supplier and partner, and will complement the existing French sovereign capabilities of Airbus’s cybersecurity business, according to the company. Quarkslab’s cybersecurity engineers and developers focus on research and development and foster innovation by creating a junction between academic research and concrete practice for the government and private sector (see: Airbus Backtracks From Planned Atos Cybersecurity Takeover).

Airbus Pursues Cyber Tuck-Ins After Atos Deals Collapse

The Quarkslab acquisition comes less than a month after Airbus agreed to purchase 200-person British cybersecurity firm Ultra Cyber to help Airbus become a trusted, sovereign partner for the U.K. and a key supplier to its allies. And in September 2024, Airbus bought 250-person, $59 million German security provider Infodas to help safeguard major military programs such as the Future Combat Air System.

Airbus previously pursued much larger cybersecurity acquisitions, but those never came to fruition. The company in January 2024 said it was in the early stages of talks to acquire Atos’ Big Data and Security business unit, making an initial offer of between $1.63 billion and $1.79 billion. But in March 2024, Airbus called off the deal, saying it would no longer pursue discussions with Atos about the transaction.

Back in February 2023, Airbus made a formal offer to purchase a 29.9% stake in Atos’ $4.8 billion Evidian cybersecurity, big data and digital business. But the next month, Airbus halted its efforts, telling Bloomberg the proposed transaction “does not meet the company’s objectives in the current context and under the current structure.”

Airbus said it aims to design, develop, integrate and deploy tailored and reliable cybersecurity products and solutions for defense, governmental, institutional and commercial customers. The company’s cyber tools include crypto and key management systems, security gateways, network and endpoint defense, aerospace multi-messaging systems, detection and response chain, and attack simulation platforms.

At the company’s aerospace and defense segment, which includes cybersecurity, revenue grew to $15.66 billion, up 11.2% from $14.08 billion the year prior. That Airbus segment also includes a connected intelligence sub-segment, which deals with the provisioning of services related to data processing from platforms, secure communication and cybersecurity.