France, too, had been investigating the feasibility of developing a supersonic transport, and their thinking had been running on parallel lines to that of the British. The French company Sud-Aviation had a prominent role in this activity. Just as Bristol was merged into BAC, so Sud-Aviation became part of the nationalised SNIAS group, familiarly known as Aerospatiale. It was these two groups that were to become joint airframe contractors for Concorde.