Airbus owner, EADS aerospace group, to freeze R&T budget in 2010

EADS, the aerospace group that owns Airbus and Eurocopter, looks set to freeze its research and technology budget in 2010.

Jean Botti, the chief technology officer, who is currently negotiating his budget, said EADS was "not immune" to the economic crisis, adding that maintaining his €900m (£804m) budget "would be great".

Airbus was the second-biggest investor in R&D in the UK aerospace and defence sector in 2007.