Sud Aviation was formed in 1957 by merging SNCASE (Sud-Est) and SNCASO (Sud-Ouest). It carried the Caravelle, the first French short/medium-haul twinjet, as well as the Alouette family of helicopters.
Nord Aviation, which grew out of SNCAN in 1958, worked on transport aircraft (including the Transall with German partners) and tactical missiles. SEREB, founded in 1959, led studies on ballistic missiles and launch vehicles.
The 1960s were the decade of major cooperation: the Franco-British Concorde agreement in 1962, and the first steps of the Airbus programme in 1969.