On November 29, 2012, Dr. Pierre Vialettes and Miss Lin Cui from European Defence and Company (EADS) China visited our group. Dr. Ning Li gave a brief introduction of the recent progress of our group in the synthesis of jet fuel with the lignocellulose derived platform chemicals.

The European Defence and Company N.V. (EADS) is a global pan-European and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide. The group includes Airbus as the leading manufacturer of commercial aircraft, with Airbus Military covering tanker, transport and mission aircraft; Eurocopter as the world's largest helicopter supplier; Astrium, the European leader in programmes from Ariane to Galileo; and Cassidian as a provider of comprehensive and integral systems solutions for aerial, land, naval and civilian security applications. Through Cassidian, EADS is a major partner in the Eurofighter consortium as well as a key stakeholder in the missile systems provider MBDA. In 2011, the EADS generated revenues of €49.13 billion and employed 133,115 personnel. EADS was formed on 10 July 2000 by the merger of Aérospatiale-Matra, DaimlerChrysler AG (DASA), and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). Overall, the company develops and markets civil and military aircraft, as well as communications systems, missiles, rockets, satellites, and related systems.

In the communication, Dr. Ning Li expressed his intention to attend the activity of “Join the Spirit” (https://jointhespirit.eads.com/) with two graduate students (Guangyi Li and Jinfan Yang) and set up long-term cooperation with EADS on the synthesis of jet fuel range alkanes with lignocellulose derived platform chemicals.