Major General (Ret) Patrick Bréthous

Joined AIRBUS HELICOPTERS as CEO adviser for military affairs in December 2020

He advises the CEO and the EXCOM on military and sovereignty issues, including influence strategy, combat field experience (lessons learned), evolving operational requirements, understanding military operators, and strengthening the defense industrial and technological base.

Within the company and across all home nations, he fosters the “defense mindset” essential to an aerospace, defense, and strategic sovereignty company such as AH.

Combat helicopter pilot in the army aviation (ALAT), he left the armed forces at the rank of major general after a 38 years carrier mostly dedicated to military operations, from tactical to strategic level.

He has been committed in almost all the operations of these last decades, from the 1st Gulf war (1990), Somalia (1993), Yugoslavia (1994, 1997), DR Congo (2006) and the Saharian strip, as general commander of the French operation “BARKHANE” (2015-2016).

In the joint headquarters in Paris he has been chief of the joint Operational center (CPCO, 2011-2015), in charge of plans and current operations of all French armed force (Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Mali, CAR, Syria, homeland). During this this assignment he went on all these areas of operations.

He has been also the chief of the army special divisions in Pau (2016-2018), and then joined the Army Headquarters in Paris as deputy chief of staff for operations.

Within the army HQs at the beginning 2000’s, he has been in charge of the plans for arrival of the new generation of combat helicopters (Caracal, Tiger and Caïman) in the ALAT, and then was commander of the 4th special forces helicopters regiment in Pau (2004-2006).

He is Commander of the Legion d’Honneur, holder of the Cross for Military Valour, the Aeronautical Medal and several French and foreign decorations