The French Aerospace Industry mobilises to strengthen cyber resilience across its supply chain

Paris, 27 July 2026 – The French Aerospace Industries Association (GIFAS) is launching GIFAS Cyber Boost, an operational programme designed to help SMEs and mid-sized companies across the aerospace and defence supply chain improve their cyber maturity.

According to Olivier Andriès, President of GIFAS and CEO of Safran: “Improving the cybersecurity maturity of our industrial value chain is an absolute priority.”

Backed by a multi-million-euro investment, the programme aims to support up to 200 companies through a structured programme combining awareness-raising, training, vulnerability assessments, support in progressing through the AirCyber framework and financial assistance linked to demonstrable progress. Through GIFAS Cyber Boost, GIFAS is underscoring a reality now recognised across the industry: cybersecurity has become a benchmark for industrial performance. Like quality, lead times and delivery performance, cyber maturity is now a determining factor in production continuity, trust between prime contractors and suppliers, access to markets and industrial sovereignty.

In the aerospace industry — an inherently dual-use sector serving both civil and military markets — industrial performance depends on highly integrated value chains. Large corporations, SMEs, mid-sized companies, suppliers, subcontractors and partners all operate within the same industrial and digital ecosystem. The digitalisation of industrial value chains, the growing volume of data exchanges, the rapid development of artificial intelligence and an increasingly complex geopolitical environment are all driving higher cybersecurity requirements across this ecosystem. Manufacturing the technologies of tomorrow also means protecting data, systems and industrial exchanges.

In this environment, every link in the chain matters and must demonstrate a strong cybersecurity culture by placing people — not just technology — at the heart of its approach. Progress made by each company strengthens the resilience of the entire value chain. GIFAS Cyber Boost embodies a forward-looking, industry-wide initiative to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and its ability to ramp up production in an increasingly competitive global market.

The figures highlight the scale of the challenge: 70% of cyberattacks exploit human vulnerabilities; an estimated 43% of French SMEs were targeted by a cyberattack in 2024; and the average cost of a cyber incident ranges from €110,000 to €1.14 million.

Through GIFAS Cyber Boost, GIFAS aims to support 200 SMEs and mid-sized companies across the aerospace and defence supply chain by the end of 2027. These will include approximately 150 GIFAS members and 50 companies belonging to other aerospace industry clusters or organisations.

AirCyber is the cybersecurity maturity standard for the aerospace and defence industry. Operated by BoostAeroSpace, it enables companies to assess their level of protection, develop a roadmap for improvement and progress through three maturity levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. GIFAS Cyber Boost uses this common framework to measure progress and tailor the support provided to each company.

The programme offers a comprehensive package designed to help SMEs and mid-sized companies assess their cyber maturity, identify their priority actions and improve within a common framework recognised across the industry. It comprises four complementary components:

1. Awareness and training, with a particular focus on the human factor, reflecting the fact that 70% of cyberattacks exploit human vulnerabilities;
2. Vulnerability assessments and phishing simulations, to identify the main areas of exposure and define priority actions;
3. The AirCyber programme, including an initial assessment, a tailored improvement roadmap and ten days of support from expert consultants;
4. Connections with partner banks to help finance the cybersecurity solutions identified in the roadmap.

The programme represents an average investment of €21,000 per company, with GIFAS funding up to 100% of the cost. For SMEs and mid-sized companies, GIFAS Cyber Boost provides access to a structured, expert-led programme backed by financial support, making it far easier to implement than isolated initiatives. GIFAS funding is contingent on companies demonstrating measurable progress through the AirCyber framework.

With Cyber Boost, GIFAS reaffirms its role in shaping and safeguarding the industry. It does more than represent the interests of its members — it is taking concrete action to help them meet growing cybersecurity requirements.

Improving cyber maturity comes against a backdrop of increasingly demanding regulatory, industrial and economic requirements: regulatory requirements under NIS2, industrial expectations from prime contractors, and the economic pressures associated with the digital transformation of value chains. In response, GIFAS has developed a structured programme, committed significant financial resources and made financial support conditional on measurable progress.

The challenge is to ensure that this effort remains accessible and sustainable for SMEs and mid-sized companies, enabling them to continue investing in their production capabilities, skills, digital transformation and competitiveness. Through GIFAS Cyber Boost, the industry is playing its part by investing in, supporting and strengthening its value chain.

“Cybersecurity has become a prerequisite for industrial performance. Through GIFAS Cyber Boost, the industry is making a tangible investment to help SMEs and mid-sized companies across its value chain improve their cyber maturity. This investment is essential to strengthening our competitiveness, resilience and industrial sovereignty. It must be recognised and supported so that companies can continue investing in their production capabilities, skills and digital transformation,” says Frédéric Parisot, CEO of GIFAS.