Welcome to the MDA Space management presentation regarding our acquisition of CLS. My name is Jim Floros, and I'm the Vice President of Investor Relations at MDA Space. With me are Mike Greenley, our Chief Executive Officer, and Guillaume Lavoie, our Chief Financial Officer. Before we begin, I would ask you to please review the disclaimer and cautionary language included in this presentation, as well as public filings regarding various factors, assumptions, and risks that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in this presentation. In addition, we may refer to certain non-IFRS financial measures. Although we believe these measures provide useful supplemental information about our financial performance, these measures do not have any standardized meaning under IFRS.
Our approach in calculating these measures may differ from that of other issuers and therefore may not be directly comparable. Please see the company's most recent quarterly report and other public filings for more information about these measures, including reconciliations to the nearest IFRS measures. With that, I will turn it over to Mike.
Thank you, Jim. I am pleased to announce that MDA Space has entered into a firm offer to acquire Collecte Localisation Satellites, known as CLS, a global leader in AI-driven Earth observation data analytics. Under the terms of the transaction, MDA will acquire 70% of CLS, while CNES, France's National Space Agency, will continue to hold a minority interest with a 30% stake at closing. The net consideration paid by MDA Space for this majority interest is EUR 567 million, subject to customary adjustments, and is based on an enterprise value of EUR 1 billion and an equity value of EUR 810 million. We are excited to continue working with CNES as a long-term strategic partner and to maintain this important sovereign relationship as a key customer to CLS.
The transaction is 100% cash-based and is supported by fully committed bank financing. However, we expect to optimize our capital structure to ensure we maintain a strong balance sheet. Following the closing of this transaction, as well as the previously announced Blue Canyon Technologies transaction, our leverage ratio is expected to remain within our stated target range of 1.5-2.5 times net debt to last 12 months Adjusted EBITDA. We expect this transaction to close late 2026 or early 2027 subject to the completion of customary French procedures, the execution of definitive transaction documents, required regulatory approvals, and customary closing conditions. Let me give you a high-level view of what MDA Space and CLS look like together and why the combination is greater than the sum of the parts.
MDA Space is currently focused largely on upstream operations. We are known for some of the world's most capable Earth observation assets. We built and operate the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, we built, own, and operate RADARSAT-2, we will significantly expand our capabilities when we launch our next generation MDA CHORUS satellite constellation expected later this year. We collect, process, and disseminate satellite data at scale, supported by multi-sensor Earth observation ground systems and satellite operations capabilities, including space domain awareness. CLS, on the other hand, is currently focused on downstream operations. It takes data from multiple sources, including satellites, and translate this into monitoring, forecasting, and decision support services delivered by data scientists, AI experts, and proprietary algorithms. It does this 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week supporting customers across the world.
As a result of this acquisition, we are creating a vertically integrated, AI-driven advanced data analytics platform for Earth observation that through broad-reaching sales and distribution in approximately 150 countries will put actionable insight into the hands of more than 14,000 customers worldwide. The strategic rationale behind this transaction is to combine upstream and downstream services to deliver value that neither company could replicate on its own with an unmatched global scale. Let me touch on what makes CLS so distinctive as a business. CLS has been operating for 40 years, employing 1,200 people worldwide, serving customers through their 24/7 global monitoring command center in Toulouse, France, and an analytics platform underpinned by 250 proprietary algorithms and models.
CLS serves five distinct client ecosystems: environmental monitoring, energy and infrastructure monitoring and forecasting, fisheries monitoring, maritime security which includes some defense, and mobility, giving the combined business exposure to a genuinely diversified end market. The scale of what CLS does every day is remarkable. They process 30 million maritime positions daily. They monitor 100% of global maritime traffic through CLS solutions. They've equipped more than 24,000 fishing vessels with monitoring beacons to track their position and catch reports. They continuously monitor 100,000 connected mobile assets. They process 200,000 radar and optical images annually. Over the past 40 years, CLS has tr acked 400,000 animals through wildlife monitoring. As CNES will maintain a minority interest, I want to take a moment to provide a little bit of background on who they are.
CNES is France's national space agency and is internationally connected with 115 cooperation agreements across 44 countries, and active partnerships with NASA, ESA, CSA, ISRO, and agencies across Asia and the Middle East. CNES is also CLS's founding shareholder dating back to 1986, resulting in a 40-year institutional relationship that will continue through this transaction. We are excited to be able to continue this relationship as CNES is also an important customer, and their 30% minority interest demonstrates that they expect to remain an engaged, long-term institutional partner in the combined business. As one of the largest national contributors to the European Space Agency's budget, CNES helped shape the strategic direction of European space policy.
Its mandate under France's national space strategy is directly aligned with some of our own growth priorities, advancing Earth observation technologies and expanding international exports, and is expected to open doors into the European space ecosystem. Let me pass it over to Guillaume to touch on some of the financial aspects of this transaction.
Thank you, Mike. CLS financial profile is also a compelling feature of this business. Revenue of EUR 203 million in 2025 translates into average annual growth rate of 14% since 2023. The quality of this revenue is equally important as it is driven by a loyal, highly diversified customer base, with the majority of revenue coming from recurring services and multi-year service contracts. CLS top 20 clients have maintained their relationship for an average of 18 years, and annual retention across the top 100 customers is extremely high at 99%. These metrics demonstrate how CLS has been able to establish enduring partnerships built through a long history of delivering value-added services and not transactional relationships. What drives our excitement about bringing CLS into the fold is the idea of what becomes possible when these two businesses operate together.
This is where the real value of the combination lies. MDA Space brings operational satellite capabilities through RADARSAT-2 and the upcoming launch of MDA CHORUS, ground station infrastructure, and deep established relationships with the Canadian government. CLS brings global AI-driven geo-intelligence an alytics, monitoring, and connectivity solutions that integrate direct proprietary sensors and real-time data delivery, and a global footprint serving over 14,000 customers across approximately 150 countries. On a combined basis, the benefits are significant. CLS global direct sales network immediately becomes a global sales distribution channel for MDA CHORUS and is expected to accelerate revenue generation just as we prepare to launch this highly strategic asset. Our upstream capabilities are expected to strengthen CLS's analytics platform, improving the quality of the intelligence CLS delivers to its customers.
Cross-selling opportunities open across both customer base and increased vertical integration from satellite sensors to analytics to customer insights creates a more competitive and differentiated business than either stand-alone company. I will cover a high-level view of the ac quisition cost and financing. As this is the second acquisition we have announced in the past few weeks, I want to provide a high-level view of acquisition costs and financing for the recently announced acquisition of Blue Canyon Technologies alongside CLS. The two acquisitions combined represent a total cost of approximately CAD 2 billion, including transaction fee and other fees. We have fully committed bank financing to cover both transactions.
However, we expect to optimize our capital structure through a combination of equity, debt, and bank facilities to maintain a strong balance sheet and achieve our stated target leverage ratio of 1.5 to 2.5 times net debt to last 12 months adjusted EBITDA. I will turn it back to Mike for closing remarks.
Okay. Thanks, Guillaume. We end up here with a globally vertically integrated geo-intelligence leader. In summary, this transaction establishes MDA Space as a global AI-driven geo-intelligence services company. It provides global scale with over 14,000 customers across approximately 150 countries and a commercial presence on five continents. It drives vertical integration by combining our upstream satellite and ground station capabilities with CLS's downstream analytics, connectivity, and decision support platforms. It accelerates the commercial uptake of MDA CHORUS through CLS's established global sales network of over 100 direct sales personnel. It opens a strategic partnership with CNES, one of the world's leading space agencies, creating a platform for collaboration on Earth observation technologies and international exports. It delivers durable revenue, doubling our current recurring revenue stream within the business. Ultimately, this is a transformative acquisition for our geo-intelligence business.
We are confident it is the right transaction at the right time as we look forward to updating you on our progress. Thanks very much.