Arelis

Who owns Arelis?

Arelis was owned by Tikehau Capital through Tikehau PE Aerospace I (2013 vintage) from 2012 to 2021, exited via Trade Sale.

Buyer identity available on Pro.

Hand-verified · updated 2026-04-21

About Arelis

Arelis is a French electronics group specialising in advanced electronics, radio frequency and microwave (hyperfrequency), power conversion and test, offering value-added services that run from design and industrialisation through to manufacturing and technology transfer. Its products serve aerospace, defence and security applications, including microwave and hybrid modules for airborne and ground-based radar, power modules, satellite and ground communications and guidance equipment for missiles and unmanned platforms, alongside a broadcast transmission line of high-efficiency radio and television transmitters. The group operates a multi-site industrial base in France, historically anchored at Marville in the Grand Est with additional facilities at Saint-Aubin-les-Elbeuf, Saumur and Conflans, and around the time of its build-up employed roughly 270 to 300 people. At that stage the group reported turnover of about EUR 27 million, positioning it as a specialist industrial partner and subcontractor to prime contractors such as Thales.

Ownership journey

Arelis took shape in 2010 through the merger of two French electronics companies, Meusonic and Sericad, whose origins in microwave and power electronics reach back several decades, and it quickly expanded through bolt-on acquisitions in radio frequency and power conversion. In June 2012 the group raised roughly EUR 6.5 million from Tikehau Private Equity Aerospace I, the aerospace and defence private equity strategy, to accelerate its growth and external expansion. The fund backed the company as it pursued a build-up in strategic electronics for the aerospace, defence and broadcast markets. Tikehau Private Equity Aerospace I exited its position in 2021 via a trade sale, and no return figures are disclosed here.

Under PE ownership

The 2012 investment was earmarked for external growth, and within months Arelis used it to acquire the Thomson Broadcast transmission business in December 2012, adding a market position in radio and television transmitters and extending the group beyond its core aerospace and defence electronics into broadcast, with GreenPower high-efficiency transmitters manufactured entirely in France. The build-up also drew on earlier moves, including the low-noise amplifier activity acquired from Zodiac Data Systems and a production unit taken over from AsteelFlash, consolidating radar, power and test capabilities across several French sites. Headcount rose toward roughly 300 employees across four main facilities, and the group set out to grow revenue from about EUR 27 million toward a target of EUR 75 million over the following years. Commercially, Arelis continued to win hyperfrequency and radar module orders from prime contractors such as Thales, reinforcing its role as a strategic electronics supplier before the sponsor's 2021 exit.