French aerospace giant Safran, the world’s largest jet engine manufacturer, has chosen its Pitstone facility in Buckinghamshire to spearhead Europe’s search for alternatives to Chinese-controlled rare earths — critical materials essential for magnets used in electric motors, aircraft systems and green technologies.
The decision comes as Western governments and companies intensify efforts to reduce dependence on China, which controls roughly 90% of global rare-earth supply and has increasingly used export controls as geopolitical leverage. Beijing’s tightening restrictions — temporarily suspended under a one-year truce brokered between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping — have heightened fears that China could disrupt supply chains for future Airbus and Boeing aircraft, while strengthening its domestic aerospace challenger, Comac.
Safran chief executive Olivier Andriès said the Pitstone site was selected after developing the world’s first electric motor certified for aviation. The UK team will now focus on identifying substitutes for rare earths such as samarium, a key component of samarium-cobalt magnets used in high-temperature aerospace environments.
“Electrical motors need magnets and magnets need rare earths, and most of these are coming from China,” Andriès said. “The target we’ve given the team is to find alternative sources of these materials — or even imagine rare-earth-free magnets. We don’t yet know the answer.”
Andriès emphasised that rare-earth access has become an urgent strategic concern as the aerospace industry advances hybrid propulsion systems for next-generation airliners. Safran already relies on export licences from China to obtain the materials it needs and has built emergency stockpiles, but Andriès warned this is only a temporary buffer.
“The supply chain has been weaponised — it’s an instrument of power,” he said. “The key point is to find alternative sources in the short term and, in the long term, find ways to deliver the same capabilities without using rare earths.”
As part of its strategy, Safran will designate the UK as its first research and technology centre outside France, reinforcing the country’s role in the company’s global operations. Safran employs 5,500 people across 14 UK sites, producing components ranging from landing gear and helicopter engines to flight controls and engine casings. Pitstone will also host a new electric-motor assembly line.
The renewed focus follows a surge in geopolitical competition for critical minerals. In October, the US signed an $8.5bn mining and processing agreement with Australia to expand Western rare-earth capabilities amid fears that China could cut off exports once the temporary truce expires.
Andriès warned that while China has not yet deployed its dominance as a coercive tool, the risk remains significant: “Today, if China is willing to, they can interrupt the supply of most of the rare earths needed for automotive or aerospace applications.”
