VFW-Fokker GmbH was a joint venture of Fokker and Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW) started in 1969 that, from then on, controlled the ERNO initiative.
The draft design was amended to a STOL 40-44 passenger jet with overwing engines, for easier operation from unprepared runways.
The collaborative production arrangements involved Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) in Germany, Fokker VFW in the Netherlands and SABCA and Fairey in Belgium.
[1][2] The European Space Agency ESA in June 1974 named a consortium headed by ERNO-VFW Fokker (Zentralgesellschaft VFW-Fokker GmbH) to build pressurized modules for Spacelab.
The ERNO plant in Bremen continued as the headquarters for Spacelab design, production management, component testing, and assembly.