Search company, investor...

Founded Year

1920

Stage

Corporate Majority | Acquired

Valuation

$0000 

About SABCA

SABCA designs, develops, tests, manufactures and repairs hydraulic, electrohydraulic and electromechanical actuators and actuation systems for all commercial aerospace applications.

Headquarters Location

Chaussée de Haecht 1470

Brussels, 1130,

Belgium

+32 2 729 55 11

CB Insights
Looking for a leg up on competitive, customer and technology insights?
CB Insights puts confidence and clarity into your most strategic decisions.
See how. Join a demo.
Join a demo
Trusted by the world's smartest companies to:
  • Predict emerging trends
  • See competitors' playbooks
  • Stalk the smart money
  • Identify tomorrow's challengers
  • Spot growing industries
  • Kill analyst data work
Let's see how we can help you!
MicrosoftWalmartWells Fargo
You're one click away from the most comprehensive, unmatched analyst expertise in tech, in-depth private company data and a platform that brings it all together.
Click Now. Join a live demo
Join a demo

Latest SABCA News

There’s A Problem With Those 30 Ex-Belgian Leopard 1A5 Tanks Ukraine Is Getting: Their Fire-Controls

Aug 10, 2023

Creative Commons license It took months of negotiation, but this week German tank-maker Rheinmetall announced it would refurbish for Ukraine an additional 30 stored Leopard 1A5s from a batch of 50 that previously belonged to Belgian company OIP Land Systems. The 40-ton, four-person Leopard 1A5BEs are unique. When, in the mid-1990s, Belgium upgraded 132 of its 334 1960s-vintage Leopard 1s to the new A5BE standard, it gave the tanks locally-developed SABCA fire-controls. Other countries’ Leopard 1A5s generally have German EMES-18 fire-controls. Both the EMES-18 and SABCA systems include thermal imaging sights, a laser rangefinder and a ballistic computer. Leopard 1s with either EMES-18 or SABCA fire-controls can shoot their 105-millimeter rifled main guns while on the move out to a range of two miles or so. The difference is in the details. The Belgian army considered the SABCA as sufficiently superior to the EMES-18 that it decided the benefit of a unique tank variant (slightly greater accuracy) as greater than the costs of a unique variant (higher price and a smaller industrial base). Other armies disagreed. When the Canadian army upgraded its SABCA-equipped Leopard 1s starting in 1996, it swappped out the Belgian fire-controls for ... German fire-controls. Specifically, the very same EMES-18s the SABCA systems had displaced in the Belgian tanks. The problem, for Ukraine, is that it’s getting at least 135 ex-Danish and ex-German Leopard 1A5s with EMES-18 fire-controls. The EMES-18 and similar EMES-15 fire-controls also equip Ukraine’s 85 or so Leopard 2 tanks. All that is to say, there are lots of EMES systems in use in Ukraine and around the world. In comparison, there are very few SABCA systems. The SABCA fire-controls could prove difficult to support. There already are indications the uncommon SABCA systems on those 50 Leopard 1A5BEs that Rheinmetall got from OIP Land Systems are in bad shape. There’s a reason Germany expects to pass on to Ukraine just 30 of the 50 ex-Belgian tanks. Technicians plan to strip 20 of the tanks in order to free up parts for repairing the other 30. There’s a good chance the fire-controls are a major driver of this cannibalization. Freddy Versluys, the head of OIP Land Systems, seemed to think the SABCA fire-controls weren’t even worth keeping. He said earlier this year he expected any buyer to spend 350,000 euros per tank to replace the fire-controls in the ex-Belgian Leopard 1s. Whether they roll into battle with their original SABCA fire-controls or replacement EMES systems, the ex-Belgian Leopard 1s should be accurate, long-range shooters. The question is how supportable the tanks will be. In any event, firepower isn’t the Ukrainian Leopard 1A5s’ biggest problem. A far greater problem is their thin steel armor, which maxes out at just 70 millimeters. That’s too thin to offer much protection against anything more powerful than a Russian heavy machine gun. Follow me on  Twitter . Check out my  website  or some of my other work  here . Send me a secure  tip .

SABCA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • When was SABCA founded?

    SABCA was founded in 1920.

  • Where is SABCA's headquarters?

    SABCA's headquarters is located at Chaussée de Haecht 1470, Brussels.

  • What is SABCA's latest funding round?

    SABCA's latest funding round is Corporate Majority.

  • Who are the investors of SABCA?

    Investors of SABCA include La Societe Federale de Participations et d'Investissement and Sabena Aerospace.

CB Insights
Looking for a leg up on competitive, customer and technology insights?
CB Insights puts confidence and clarity into your most strategic decisions.
See how. Join a demo.
Join a demo
Trusted by the world's smartest companies to:
  • Predict emerging trends
  • See competitors' playbooks
  • Stalk the smart money
  • Identify tomorrow's challengers
  • Spot growing industries
  • Kill analyst data work
Let's see how we can help you!
MicrosoftWalmartWells Fargo

Discover the right solution for your team

The CB Insights tech market intelligence platform analyzes millions of data points on vendors, products, partnerships, and patents to help your team find their next technology solution.

Join a demo

CBI websites generally use certain cookies to enable better interactions with our sites and services. Use of these cookies, which may be stored on your device, permits us to improve and customize your experience. You can read more about your cookie choices at our privacy policy here. By continuing to use this site you are consenting to these choices.