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109-921: BAE Systems acquired Lockheed Martin Aerospace Electronic Systems (AES) and Lockheed Martin Control Systems in 2000. BAE Systems Electronic Systems was formed in June 2005 by an internal reorganisation of these businesses. Lockheed had identified AES as a candidate for disposal following a strategic review in 1999. BAE Systems agreed to acquire the group in July and completed its acquisition of AES on 27 November 2000. The group encompassed Sanders Associates , Fairchild Systems and Lockheed Martin Space Electronics & Communications. The purchase of this group by BAE has been described as "precedent setting" given

218-456: A joint stock company . In return for a 20% share in the new company BAE Systems transferred ownership of its Airbus plants (known as Airbus UK ) to the new company. Despite repeated suggestions as early as 2000 that BAE Systems wished to sell its 20% share of Airbus, the possibility was denied by the company. However, on 6 April 2006 it was reported that it was indeed to sell its stake, then "conservatively valued" at £2.4 billion. Due to

327-441: A "core business". On 18 August 2006 Saudi Arabia signed a contract worth £6 billion to £10 billion for 72 Eurofighter Typhoons, to be delivered by BAE Systems. On 10 September 2006 the company was awarded a £2.5 billion contract for the upgrade of 80 Royal Saudi Air Force Tornado IDSs. One of BAE Systems' major aims, as highlighted in the 2005 Annual Report, was the granting of increased technology transfer between

436-530: A "strategic bias" for expansion and investment in the US. The review also confirmed the attractiveness of the land systems sector and, with two acquisitions in 2004 and 2005, BAE moved from a limited land systems supplier to the second largest such company in the world. This shift in strategy was described as "remarkable" by the Financial Times . Between 2008 and early 2011 BAE acquired five cybersecurity companies in

545-513: A deal worth £800 million. The deal was significant because it was a factor in India's decision to finalise a £1 billion order for 66 Hawks in March 2004. Also in July 2003 BAE Systems and Finmeccanica announced their intention to set up three joint venture companies, to be collectively known as Eurosystems . These companies would have pooled the avionics, C4ISTAR and communications businesses of

654-765: A key element of the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons capability. BAE has operated the Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Tennessee, since 1999, and the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Radford , Virginia since 2012. BAE Systems' biggest markets are the US 44%, UK 20%, Saudi Arabia 11% and Australia 4%, as of 2022. BAE Systems is the main supplier to the UK MoD ; in 2009/2010 BAE Systems companies in

763-432: A major American defence contractor, for £830 million (about US$ 1.4 billion). The 1997 merger of American corporations Boeing and McDonnell Douglas , which followed the formation in 1995 of Lockheed Martin , the world's largest defence contractor, increased the pressure on European defence companies to consolidate. In June 1997, British Aerospace Defence managing director John Weston commented "Europe ...

872-698: A more capable version of the Harrier. Early efforts concentrated on the development of an improved Pegasus engine , designated the Pegasus 15 , which was being tested by Bristol Siddeley . During August 1981, the program received a boost when British Aerospace (BAe) and McDonnell Douglas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the UK's re-entry into the program. The Harrier was extensively redeveloped by McDonnell Douglas, and later joined by British Aerospace (now parts of Boeing and BAE Systems , respectively), leading to

981-781: A naval V/STOL jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft; it was a navalised development of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. The first version entered service with the Royal Navy 's Fleet Air Arm in April 1980 as the Sea Harrier FRS.1 , and was informally known as the Shar . Sea Harriers played a high-profile role in the Falklands War of 1982, flying from the aircraft carriers HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes . Wartime experiences led to

1090-504: A perfect solution." The attraction of MES to British Aerospace was largely its ownership of Tracor, a major American defence contractor. Harrier jump jet The Harrier , informally referred to as the Harrier jump jet , is a family of jet-powered attack aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations (V/STOL). Named after a bird of prey , it was originally developed by British manufacturer Hawker Siddeley in

1199-469: A provider of vehicle and individual armour systems and survivability technologies. BAE Systems (and British Aerospace previously) was a technology partner to the McLaren Formula One team from 1996 to December 2007. The partnership originally focused on McLaren's F1 car's aerodynamics, eventually moving on to carbon fibre techniques, wireless systems and fuel management. BAE Systems' main interest in

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1308-434: A sharp increase in interim sales and profits. In August 2023 BAE agreed to acquire the aerospace division of US-based Ball Corporation for $ 5.6 billion in cash (approximately £4.5 billion); this was BAE's largest acquisition up until that point and was completed on 16 February 2024. In October 2023, BAE was awarded a £3.95 billion contract for development work on Aukus-class submarines up to 2028. BAE Systems plays

1417-621: A shift in strategy to take account of reduced spending by governments on "traditional defence items such as warships and tanks". In 2000 Matra Marconi Space , a joint BAE Systems/Matra company, was merged with the space division of DASA to form Astrium . On 16 June 2003 BAE sold its 25% share of Astrium for £84 million, however due to the lossmaking status of the company, BAE Systems invested an equal amount for "restructuring". BAE Systems sold its 54% majority share of BAE Systems Canada , an electronics company, in April for CA$ 310 (approx. £197 million as of December 2010). In November 2001,

1526-618: A shock profit warning due to cost overruns of the Nimrod MRA4 maritime reconnaissance/attack aircraft and the Astute -class submarine projects. On 19 February 2003 BAE took a charge of £750 million against these projects and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) agreed to pay a further £700 million of the cost. In 2000 the company had taken a £300 million "loss charge" on the Nimrod contract which

1635-521: A significant role in the production of military equipment. In 2017, 98% of BAE Systems' total sales were military related. It plays important roles in military aircraft production. The company's Typhoon fighter is one of the main front line aircraft of the RAF. The company is a major partner in the F-35 Lightning II programme. Its Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft has been widely exported. In July 2006,

1744-467: A theoretical aircraft to take advantage of the Pegasus engine, using data provided by Bristol. During March 1959, the newly merged Hawker Siddeley decided to privately fund a pair of prototypes of the design, which had received the internal company designation of P.1127 , to demonstrate the design's capabilities. During the 1960s, the P.1127 attracted the attention of the RAF; this would eventually result in

1853-404: A training sortie/mission, using forward speed to supplement the jet lift with aerodynamic lift. A short takeoff also uses less fuel than a vertical take off . On some aircraft carriers, a ski-jump ramp is used at the bow of the carrier to help the aircraft become airborne. Landings are not usually done in a conventional manner because the range of speeds at which this is advisable is narrow due to

1962-465: Is a dog-fighting tactic, allowing for more sudden braking and higher turn rates. Braking could cause a chasing aircraft to overshoot and present itself as a target for the Harrier, a technique formally developed by the USMC for the Harrier in the early 1970s. This technique was much discussed in the media before the Falklands War in 1982, but ultimately not used by British pilots in that conflict. However,

2071-409: Is achieved at the desired altitude. The short-takeoff procedure involves proceeding with a normal takeoff and then rotating the nozzles partially downwards (a thrust vector less than 90°) at a speed below the normal takeoff speed; usually this is done at about 65 knots (120 km/h). For a shorter takeoff run the thrust vector is greater for more jet lift. The reaction control system uses thrusters at

2180-598: Is competitive, however largely between American firms, while foreign companies are excluded. In December 2005 the MoD published the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) which has been widely acknowledged to recognise BAE Systems as the UK's "national champion". The government claimed the DIS would "promote a sustainable industrial base, that retains in the UK those industrial capabilities needed to ensure national security." After

2289-471: Is headquartered at the existing facility in Telford, Shropshire. In August 2020 BAE Systems completed the purchase of United Technologies ' military GPS businesses for $ 1.9 billion and Raytheon 's military airborne radios business for $ 275 million. The sale of these two business was a condition of the merger approval that saw their two parent companies merge to form Raytheon Technologies . In November 2020,

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2398-536: Is supporting three times the number of contractors on less than half the budget of the U.S." European governments wished to see the merger of their defence manufacturers into a single entity, a "European Aerospace and Defence Company". As early as 1995, British Aerospace and the German aerospace and defence company DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA) were said to be keen to create a transnational aerospace and defence company. The two companies envisaged including Aérospatiale,

2507-658: Is the first generation-version and is also known as the AV-8A or AV-8C Harrier; it was used by multiple air forces, including the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The Sea Harrier is a naval strike/air defence fighter derived from the Hawker Siddeley Harrier; it was operated by both the Royal Navy and the Indian Navy . During the 1980s, a second generation Harrier emerged, manufactured in

2616-724: Is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. Its largest operations are in the United Kingdom and in the United States, where its BAE Systems Inc. subsidiary is one of the six largest suppliers to the US Department of Defense . Its next biggest markets are Saudi Arabia, then Australia; other major markets include Canada, Japan, India, Turkey, Qatar, Oman and Sweden. The company

2725-449: Is the successor to many of the most famous British aircraft, defence electronics and warship manufacturers. Predecessor companies built the Comet , the world's first commercial jet airliner; the Harrier "jump jet", the world's first operational vertical/short take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft; the "groundbreaking" Blue Vixen radar carried by Sea Harrier FA2s and which formed the basis of

2834-565: The Astute -class submarines, Type 26 frigates and Dreadnought -class submarines. BAE Systems is indirectly engaged in production of nuclear weapons – through its share of MBDA it is involved with the production and support of the ASMP missile, an air-launched nuclear missile which forms part of the French nuclear deterrent . The company is also the UK's only nuclear submarine manufacturer and thus produces

2943-610: The Astute -class submarines, and the Type 26 frigates were all confirmed in the 2010 SDSR. A new generation of nuclear missile submarines, the Dreadnought -class , was ordered in 2016. BAE Systems sold the regional aircraft leasing and asset management arm of its Regional Aircraft business in May 2011. This unit leases the BAe 146 /Avro RJ family, BAe ATP , Jetstream and BAe 748 . The company retained

3052-796: The British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), the Hawker Siddeley Group and Scottish Aviation . Both BAC and Hawker Siddeley were themselves the result of various mergers and acquisitions. Marconi Electronic Systems was the defence subsidiary of British engineering firm the General Electric Company (GEC), dealing largely in military systems integration , as well as naval and land systems. Marconi's heritage dates back to Guglielmo Marconi 's Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company, founded in 1897. GEC purchased English Electric (which included Marconi) in 1968 and thereafter used

3161-591: The Department of Trade and Industry which prevented a reference of the merger to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission . These were largely to ensure that the integrated company would tender sub-contracts to external companies on an equal basis with its subsidiaries. Another condition was the " firewalling " of former British Aerospace and MES teams on defence projects such as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). In 2007

3270-585: The F-35 Lightning II , designated as the F-35B. Throughout the 1950s, particularly in the years following the Korean War , a number of aircraft companies in both Europe and America separately decided to investigate the prospective capabilities and viability of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which would eliminate the requirement for vulnerable runways by taking off and landing vertically as opposed to

3379-572: The F-35 Lightning II . Military communications. This includes the Airborne Tactical Radio business acquired from Raytheon . GPS products and weapon parts, for example seekers for THAAD missiles. The GPS business was expanded in 2020 by the $ 1.9 billion purchase of the Collins Aerospace military GPS division of United Technologies Corporation . Missile warning systems and offensive electronic warfare systems on aircraft including

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3488-531: The Gripen fighter aircraft. In 2005 it reduced this share to 20.5% and in March 2010 announced its intention to sell the remainder. The Times stated that the decision brought "to an end its controversial relationship with the Gripen fighter aircraft". Several of the export campaigns for the aircraft were subject to allegations of bribery and corruption. The company continued its move into support services in May 2010 with

3597-566: The Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call . Full Authority Digital Engine Controls and Fly by wire controls. General Electric and Boeing are major customers for this unit. Hybrid and full electric drive systems for public transit, commercial truck, and military applications. BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace , defence and information security company, based in London , England. It

3706-569: The Marconi Company , the first commercial company devoted to the development and use of radio; A.V. Roe and Company , one of the world's first aircraft companies; de Havilland , manufacturer of the Comet , the world's first commercial jet airliner; Hawker Siddeley , manufacturer of the Harrier , the world's first VTOL attack aircraft; British Aircraft Corporation , co-manufacturer of the Concorde supersonic transport; Supermarine , manufacturer of

3815-489: The Panavia Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft projects. Merger discussions began between British Aerospace and DASA in July 1998, just as French participation became more likely with the announcement that Aérospatiale was to merge with Matra and emerge with a diluted French government shareholding. A merger was agreed between British Aerospace chairman Richard Evans and DASA CEO Jürgen Schrempp . Meanwhile, GEC

3924-575: The Royal Air Force explored whether experienced helicopter pilots, with their ability to hover and transition to forward flight, would be a better source for Harrier squadrons. In both cases the pilots were completely out of their depth with conventional flight, navigation, orientation and weapons delivery at the high speeds of a fast jet. With the introduction of two-seat Harriers, less experienced pilots were introduced. The United States Marine Corps also started with very experienced pilots, who were mostly test pilots. In addition to normal flight controls,

4033-511: The Spitfire ; Yarrow Shipbuilders , builder of the Royal Navy 's first destroyers ; Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , builder of the world's first battlecruiser ; and Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering , builder of the Royal Navy's first submarines . Since its 1999 formation, BAE Systems has made a number of acquisitions, most notably of United Defense and Armor Holdings of

4142-527: The TAI TF Kaan aircraft. On 10 October 2017, BAE announced that it would lay off nearly 2,000 out of its approximately 35,000 employees in Britain, mainly due to an order shortage for the Typhoon fighter. In 2019 BAE Systems sold a 55% share of its UK land business to Rheinmetall . The resultant joint venture (JV), Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), was established in July 2019 following regulatory approval and

4251-758: The US Marine Corps , with the aircraft to be used as sources of spare parts for the Marine Corps's airworthy fleet. As of 6 May 2024 , the STOVL variant of the F-35 Lightning II , designated the F-35B, has replaced the AV-8B Harrier II in service with the US Marine Corps The RAF and Royal Navy introduced the F-35B in June 2018 with their first F-35 unit, 617 Squadron . As of March 2021, Italian Navy AV-8Bs had been replaced by F-35Bs, on

4360-529: The compressor along with a "hot" jet which was directed via a conventional central tailpipe; this concept had originated from Michel Wibault, a French aviation consultant. Throughout much of the early development work, there was no financial support for the project from HM Treasury ; however, support for the engine development portion of the effort was sourced via NATO's Mutual Weapon Development Program (MWDP). Senior project engineer Ralph Hooper at Hawker promptly set about establishing an initial layout for

4469-465: The 1960s. The Harrier emerged as the only truly successful V/STOL design of the many attempted during that era. It was conceived to operate from improvised bases, such as car parks or forest clearings, without requiring large and vulnerable air bases . Later, the design was adapted for use from aircraft carriers . There are two generations and four main variants of the Harrier family, developed by both UK and US manufacturers: The Hawker Siddeley Harrier

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4578-413: The 1980s to shift the burden of risk to the contractor and were in contrast to "cost plus contracts" where a contractor was paid for the value of its product plus an agreed profit. BAE Systems was operating in "the only truly open defence market", which meant it was competing with US and European companies for British defence projects, while they were protected in their home markets. The US defence market

4687-511: The British aero engine manufacturer Bristol Engine Company , who were designing an innovative vectored thrust engine, British aviation conglomerate Hawker Aircraft developed their design for an aeroplane that could meet an existing NATO specification calling for a "Light Tactical Support Fighter" . Bristol's projected vectored thrust engine, which received the name Pegasus , harnessed rotatable "cold" jets which were positioned on either side of

4796-462: The British government declassified the HERTI (High Endurance Rapid Technology Insertion), an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which can navigate autonomously. It is currently developing a sixth-generation jet fighter aircraft for the RAF marketed as the " Tempest " along with the MoD, Rolls-Royce , Leonardo and MBDA. It is intended to enter service from 2035 replacing the Typhoon aircraft in service with

4905-568: The DASA merger in favour of purchasing its British rival. The merger of British Aerospace and MES was announced on 19 January 1999. Evans stated in 2004 that his fear was that an American defence contractor would acquire MES and challenge both British Aerospace and DASA. The merger created a vertically integrated company which The Scotsman described as "[a combination of British Aerospace's] contracting and platform-building skills with Marconi's coveted electronics systems capability", for example combining

5014-466: The Eurofighter's CAPTOR radar; and co-produced the Concorde supersonic airliner with Aérospatiale . British Aerospace was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer, as well as a provider of military land systems. The company had emerged from the massive consolidation of UK aircraft manufacturers since World War II. British Aerospace was formed on 29 April 1977, by the nationalisation and merger of

5123-431: The Harrier has a lever for controlling the direction of the four vectoring nozzles. Pilots were impressed that to control the aircraft's vertical flight required only a single lever added in the cockpit. For horizontal flight, the nozzles are directed rearwards by shifting the lever to the forward position; for short or vertical takeoffs and landings, the lever is pulled back to point the nozzles downward. During 2010, it

5232-618: The Hawker P.1127 prototype and the Kestrel evaluation aircraft. On 18 April 1969, the Harrier GR.1 officially entered service with the RAF when the Harrier Conversion Unit at RAF Wittering received its first aircraft. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) also chose to procure the type, receiving 102 AV-8A and 8 TAV-8A Harriers between 1971 and 1976. The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is

5341-527: The Hawker Siddeley Kestrel, was ordered and manufactured for testing. During 1964, the first of these had commenced flight operations; the Kestrel was assessed by the multinational "Tri-partite Evaluation Squadron", which consisted of British, US and German pilots, to determine how VTOL aircraft could be operated; the evaluations were finalised in November 1965. During 1966, following the cancellation of

5450-517: The Italian aircraft carrier Cavour . In 2016, the Indian Navy retired the last of their remaining 11 Sea Harriers, which had been operating from INS  Viraat in favour of the conventional Mikoyan MiG-29K . Starting in 2007, Spain was looking to replace its Harrier IIs – with the likely option being the F-35B. However, in May 2014, the Spanish government announced that it had decided to extend

5559-497: The Marconi brand for its defence businesses (as GEC-Marconi and later Marconi Electronic Systems). GEC's own defence heritage dates back to World War I, when its contribution to the war effort included radios and bulbs. World War II consolidated this position, as the company was involved in important technological advances, notably the cavity magnetron for radar . Between 1945 and 1999, GEC-Marconi/Marconi Electronic Systems became one of

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5668-495: The MoD announced the award of a 20-year, £2.4 billion munitions contract to BAE. This will see BAE manufacture 39 different munitions for the UK armed forces and supersedes the 2008 MASS contract. In July 2023, BAE received a related £280 million order to address a munitions shortage caused by the supply of ammunition to Ukraine. In 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine , major arms manufacturers, including BAE Systems, reported

5777-462: The P.1127, designated the P.1150 , culminating in the abortive Hawker P.1154 . NBMR.3 also attracted ten other contenders, among which was P.1154's principal competitor, the Dassault Mirage IIIV . The P.1154 was ultimately selected to meet NBMR-3; however, this did not lead to orders being placed. On 6 December 1961, prior to the design being submitted to NATO, it was decided that

5886-514: The P.1154 would be developed with the requirements for use by both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy (RN). Following the cancellation of the NBMR-3 requirement, HSA focused all its attention on the British joint requirement. Accordingly, development of the type continued for some time; however, by October 1963, the Ministry of Aviation was concerned with the project's progress, and noted that

5995-491: The P.1154, the RAF opted to proceed with ordering a modified derivative of the P.1127/Kestrel for service, which was designated the Harrier GR.1. The Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1/GR.3 and the AV-8A Harrier were the first generation of the Harrier series, the first operational close-support and reconnaissance attack aircraft with vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) capabilities. These were developed directly from

6104-399: The RAF. BAE Systems Land and Armaments manufactures the M2/M3 Bradley fighting vehicle family, the US Navy Advanced Gun System (AGS), M113 armoured personnel carrier (APC), M109 Paladin , Archer , M777 howitzer , the British Army's Challenger 2 , Warrior Tracked Armoured Vehicle , Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle , and the SA80 assault rifle . Major naval projects include

6213-511: The UK Armed Forces' ammunition and required BAE to modernise its munitions manufacturing facilities. BAE Systems expanded its intelligence and security business with the £531 million purchase of Detica Group in July 2008. It continued this strategy with purchases of Danish cyber and intelligence company ETI for approximately $ 210 million in December 2010, and Norkom Group PLC the following month for €217 million. The latter provides counter fraud and anti-money laundering solutions to

6322-428: The UK and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement on an arms package which saw a £1.6 billion contract awarded to BAE for the delivery of 55 Pilatus PC-21 and 22 BAE Systems Hawk aircraft. The Sultanate of Oman ordered Typhoon and Hawk aircraft worth £2.5 billion in December 2012. In September 2012, it was reported that BAE Systems and EADS had entered merger talks which would have seen BAE shareholders own 40% of

6431-447: The UK and the US. The F-35 (JSF) programme became the focus of this effort, with British government ministers such as Lord Drayson , Minister for Defence Procurement , suggesting the UK would withdraw from the project without the transfer of technology that would allow the UK to operate and maintain F-35s independently. On 12 December 2006, Lord Drayson signed an agreement which allows "an unbroken British chain of command" for operation of

6540-416: The United States as the AV-8B and in Britain as the British Aerospace Harrier II respectively. By the start of the 21st century, the majority of the first generation Harriers had been withdrawn, many operators having chosen to procure the second generation as a replacement. In the long term, several operators have announced their intention to supplement or replace their Harrier fleets with the STOVL variant of

6649-531: The United States, and has sold its shares in Airbus , Astrium , AMS and Atlas Elektronik . It is involved in several major defence projects, including the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II , the Eurofighter Typhoon , the Astute -class submarine , and the Queen Elizabeth -class aircraft carriers . BAE is listed on the London Stock Exchange 's FTSE 100 Index . British Aerospace bought Marconi Electronic Systems for £7.7 billion on 30 November 1999 and merged with it to form BAE Systems. The company

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6758-407: The ability to rotate the nozzles slightly forwards did allow the aircraft to fly slowly backwards in the hover, which was widely used in British and American airshows. The wind direction is critical during VTOL manoeuvres because unless it enters the intake from straight ahead it will push the nose sideways as it turns to enter the intake (known as intake momentum drag). If not corrected immediately,

6867-419: The advanced and classified nature of many of that company's products. In August 2004 BAE acquired Boeing Commercial Electronics for $ 66 million (£36m). This was an Irving, Texas -based division of Boeing responsible for the manufacture of electronic components for the company's aircraft. Boeing announced the sale of the division in 2003 as part of a move to outsource component manufacture and "concentrate on

6976-438: The aircraft extremities, nose, tail and wingtips. Thrust from the engine can be temporarily syphoned to control the aircraft's pitch, roll and yaw before it is going fast enough for the elevators, rudder and ailerons to become effective. The Harrier has been described by pilots as "unforgiving" to fly. The aircraft is capable of forward flight (where it behaves like a fixed-wing aircraft above its stall speed) and VTOL (where

7085-419: The aircraft will roll out of control. The pilot has a wind vane in front of the windscreen to help keep pointing into the wind. The procedure for vertical takeoff involves facing the aircraft into the wind. The swivelling nozzles are pointed vertically downwards (thrust vector 90°) and the throttle is pushed to its maximum stop, at which point the aircraft leaves the ground. The throttle is adjusted until hovering

7194-419: The aircraft's service life to beyond 2025 due to a lack of funds for a replacement aircraft. An unusual feature of the Harrier family of aircraft is their use of two types of flight control to provide pitch, roll and yaw control: conventional control surfaces for wingborne flight, and a system of reaction control valves directing jets of bleed air from the high-pressure compressor of the engine out through

7303-416: The aircraft. On 22 December 2006 BAE received a £947 million contract to provide guaranteed availability of Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornados. In May 2007 the company announced its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. was to purchase Armor Holdings for £2.3 billion (approx. US$ 4.5 billion c. 2007) and completed the deal on 31 July 2007. The company was a manufacturer of tactical wheeled vehicles and

7412-447: The company announced the closure of the Avro Regional Jet ( Avro RJ ) production line at Woodford and the cancellation of the Avro RJX, an advanced series of the aircraft family, as the business was "no longer viable". The final Avro RJ to be completed became the last British civil airliner. In November 2001 BAE sold its 49.9% share of Thomson Marconi Sonar to Thales for £85 million. A further step of European defence consolidation

7521-400: The company proceed with the sale. Shareholders voted in favour and the sale was completed on 13 October. This saw the end of UK-owned involvement in civil airliner production. Airbus Operations Ltd (the former Airbus UK) continued to be the Airbus "Centre of Excellence" for wing production, employing over 9,500 in 2007. In February 2010 BAE Systems announced a £592 million writedown of

7630-619: The company's RO Defence unit to form BAE Systems Land Systems. Recognising the lack of scale of this business compared to General Dynamics, BAE Systems executives soon identified the US defence company United Defense Industries (UDI), a major competitor to General Dynamics, as a main acquisition target. On 7 March 2005 BAE announced the £2.25 billion (approx. US$ 4.2 billion c. 2005) acquisition of UDI. UDI, now BAE Systems Land and Armaments , manufactures combat vehicles, artillery systems, naval guns, missile launchers and precision guided munitions. In December 2005, BAE Systems announced

7739-450: The company's shares. BAE Systems' first annual report identified Airbus, support services to militaries and integrated systems for air, land and naval applications as key areas of growth. It also stated the company's desire to both expand in the US and participate in further consolidation in Europe. BAE Systems described 2001 as an "important year" for its European joint ventures, which were reorganised considerably. The company has described

7848-452: The contribution of Airbus UK. After its creation, BAE Systems had a difficult relationship with the MoD. This was attributed to deficient project management by the company, but also in part to the deficiencies in the terms of "fixed price contracts". CEO Mike Turner said in 2006 "We had entered into contracts under the old competition rules that frankly we shouldn't have taken". These competition rules were introduced by Lord Levene during

7957-533: The conventional lift and control surfaces are ineffective) along with STOL . Accelerating and decelerating transitions between hovering and conventional flight required considerable skill and concentration on the part of the pilot, especially in crosswind conditions. Pilots for the combined UK/US/Germany trials on the Kestrel were first given several hours of helicopter tuition Royal Air Force pilots destined for Harrier squadrons were usually selected from those with single-seat fast-jet experience. On two occasions

8066-496: The conventional horizontal approach. In addition to military applications, the prospect of applying such technology to commercial airliners was also viewed with considerable interest by the mid-1950s, thus the value of developing viable vertical take-off systems was judged to be substantial. However, during this era, few companies envisioned that a VTOL aircraft could also be compatible with the characteristics of high performance military aircraft. During 1957, following an approach by

8175-424: The development and issuing of Requirement ASR 384, which sought a V/STOL aircraft for ground attack operations. During late 1965, the RAF placed an order for six pre-production P.1127 (RAF) aircraft. Around the same time as the RAF's interest in the concept, NATO proceeded to develop their own specification, NBMR-3 , which called for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft; specific requirements included

8284-460: The effort to combine a strike aircraft and a fighter in a single aircraft, and trying to fit that same airframe to both of the services, was "unsound". On 2 February 1965, work on the P.1154 was cancelled by the new British government on grounds of cost at the point of prototype construction. Irrespective of work on the P.1154 programme, development had continued on the subsonic P.1127 evaluation aircraft. A total of nine aircraft, known as

8393-410: The expectation for the performance of such an aircraft to be equivalent to the conventional McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter. Specifications called for a supersonic V/STOL strike fighter with a combat radius of 460 kilometres (250 nmi), a cruise speed of Mach 0.92, and a dash speed of Mach 1.5. During the early 1960s, Hawker commenced work upon developing a supersonic version of

8502-619: The family of second-generation V/STOL jet multi-role aircraft . The American designation for this was the AV-8B Harrier II . On 12 December 1983, the first production AV-8B was delivered to the USMC. The AV-8B is primarily used for attack or multi-role tasks, typically operated from small aircraft carriers . The RAF also chose to procure the second generation of the British Aerospace-built (with McDonnell Douglas as subcontractor) Harrier II GR5/GR7/GR9 , which entered service in

8611-524: The former Armor Holdings business following the loss of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles contract in 2009. It was outbid by Oshkosh Corporation for the £2.3 billion ($ 3.7 billion) contract. Land and Armaments had been the "star performer" of BAE Systems' subsidiaries, growing from sales of £482 million in 2004 to £6.7 billion in 2009. BAE Systems inherited British Aerospace's 35% share of Saab AB , with which it produced and marketed

8720-449: The global financial services industry where its software assists institutions to comply with regulations on financial intelligence and monitoring. BAE Systems inherited British Aerospace's share of Airbus Industrie, which consisted of two factories at Broughton and Filton . These facilities manufactured wings for the Airbus family of aircraft. In 2001 Airbus was incorporated as Airbus SAS,

8829-557: The government announced that it had agreed to release BAE Systems from ten of the undertakings due to "a change in circumstances". BAE Systems inherited the UK government-owned "golden" share that was established when British Aerospace was privatised. This unique share prevents amendments of certain parts of the company's Articles of Association without the permission of the Secretary of State. These Articles require that no foreign person or persons acting together may hold more than 15% of

8938-445: The integration and final assembly of commercial aircraft." The Fort Worth Star Telegram said "Boeing has sought to sell several operations that it said are too narrowly focused and costly for the company to manage efficiently." BAE Systems Electronic Systems reports its sales under the following headings, 86% of which were to military customers in 2020: ES produces electronic warfare (EW) systems for combat aircraft, for example for

9047-418: The latter to Finmeccanica for €400 million (approx. £270 million c. 2007) in March 2007. In May 2004, it was reported that the company was considering selling its shipbuilding divisions, BAE Systems Naval Ships and BAE Systems Submarines . It was understood that General Dynamics wished to acquire the submarine building facilities at Barrow-in-Furness , while VT Group was said to be interested in

9156-513: The list of Top 100 suppliers to the MoD received contracts totalling £3.98 billion, with total revenue being higher when other subsidiary income is included. In comparison, the second largest supplier is Babcock International Group and its subsidiaries, with a revenue of £1.1 billion from the MoD. Oxford Economic Forecasting states that in 2002 the company's UK businesses employed 111,578 people, achieved export sales of £3 billion and paid £2.6 billion in taxes. These figures exclude

9265-654: The loss of 940 jobs, and a further 835 jobs would be lost at Filton, near Bristol, and at the shipyards in Govan, Rosyth, and Scotstoun in Scotland. On 9 October 2014, the company announced the loss of 440 management jobs across the country, with 286 of the job cuts in Lancashire. In July 2014 it announced the acquisition of US intelligence company Signal Innovations Group Inc. to augment imagery and data analysis technologies in its Intelligence & Security business. In August 2014, BAE

9374-458: The manufacture of new Harriers concluded in 1997, the last remanufactured aircraft (Harrier II Plus configuration) was delivered in December 2003, ending the Harrier production line. The Harrier jump jet, though capable of taking off vertically, can do so only at less than its maximum loaded weight. In most cases a short take off is needed to lift the required amount of fuel and weapons needed for

9483-483: The manufacturer of the Eurofighter with the company that provided many of the aircraft's electronic systems; British Aerospace was MES's largest customer. In contrast, DASA's response to the breakdown of the merger discussion was to merge with Aérospatiale to create the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company ( EADS ), a horizontal integration . Seventeen undertakings were given by BAE Systems to

9592-595: The mid-1980s. This model was also operated by several other NATO countries, including Spain and Italy. In December 1989, the first RAF squadron to be equipped with the Harrier II was declared operational. The British Harrier II was used by the RAF and later by the Royal Navy up to 2010, at which point the Harrier II and the Joint Force Harrier operational unit was disbanded as a cost-saving measure. Between 1969 and 2003, 824 Harrier variants were delivered. While

9701-444: The other major European aerospace company, but only after its privatisation. The first stage of this integration was seen as the transformation of Airbus from a consortium of British Aerospace, DASA, Aérospatiale and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA into an integrated company; with this aim British Aerospace and DASA were united against the various objections of Aérospatiale. As well as Airbus, British Aerospace and DASA were partners in

9810-659: The partnership was to learn about the high speed build and operations processes of McLaren. The company announced the acquisition of Tenix Defence , a major Australian defence contractor in January 2008. The purchase was completed on 27 June for A$ 775 million (£373 million) making BAE Systems Australia that country's largest defence contractor. The MoD awarded BAE Systems a 15-year munitions contract in August 2008 worth up to £3 billion, known as Munition Acquisition Supply Solution (MASS). The contract guaranteed supply of 80% of

9919-410: The production of an improved model in the form of the upgraded Sea Harrier FA2 ; this version entered operational service on 2 April 1993. The Sea Harrier was also procured by the Indian Navy , where the first Indian Sea Harriers entered squadron service during December 1983. As early as 1973, Hawker Siddeley and American aviation manufacturer McDonnell Douglas were jointly working on development of

10028-528: The publication of the DIS BAE Systems CEO Mike Turner said "If we didn't have the DIS and our profitability and the terms of trade had stayed as they were... then there had to be a question mark about our future in the UK". Lord Levene said in the balance between value for money or maintaining a viable industrial base the DIS "tries as well as it can to steer a middle course and to achieve as much as it can in both directions. ...We will never have

10137-544: The purchase of the marine support company Atlantic Marine for $ 352 million. In September 2010 BAE Systems announced plans to sell the Platform Solutions division of BAE Systems Inc., which the Financial Times estimated could yield as much as £1.3 billion. Despite "considerable expressions of interest", the sale was abandoned in January 2011. The purchases of Queen Elizabeth -class aircraft carriers ,

10246-563: The rationale for expansion in the US; "[it] is by far the largest defence market with spend running close to twice that of the Western European nations combined. Importantly, US investment in research and development is significantly higher than in Western Europe." When Dick Olver was appointed chairman in July 2004 he ordered a review of the company's businesses which ruled out further European acquisitions or joint ventures and confirmed

10355-411: The relatively vulnerable outrigger undercarriage. Operationally, a near-vertical landing with some forward speed is preferred; this technique is called shipborne rolling vertical landing (SRVL). Rotating the vectored thrust nozzles to some angle other than rearwards during normal flight (to a maximum of 8-degree forward of vertical, i.e. 98 deg.) is called vectoring in forward flight , or "VIFFing". This

10464-507: The remaining yards on the Clyde . Instead, in 2008 BAE Systems merged its Surface Fleet arm with the shipbuilding operations of VT Group to form BVT Surface Fleet , an aim central to the British Government's Defence Industrial Strategy . On 4 June 2004, BAE Systems outbid General Dynamics for Alvis Vickers , the UK's main manufacturer of armoured vehicles. Alvis Vickers was merged with

10573-597: The resulting organisation. On 10 October 2012, the companies said the merger talks had been called off. The Guardian reported that this was due to the German Government's concern about the "potential size of the French shareholding in the combined company, as well as disagreements over the location of the group's headquarters". In November 2013, BAE Systems announced that shipbuilding would cease in Portsmouth in 2014 with

10682-493: The sale of its German naval systems subsidiary, Atlas Elektronik, to ThyssenKrupp and EADS. The Financial Times described the sale as "cut price" because French company Thales bid €300 million, but was blocked from purchasing Atlas by the German government on national security grounds. On 31 January 2006 the company announced the sale of BAE Systems Aerostructures to Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. , having said as early as 2002 that it wished to dispose of what it did not regard as

10791-511: The slow pace of informal negotiations, BAE Systems exercised its put option which saw investment bank Rothschild appointed to give an independent valuation. Six days after this process began, Airbus announced delays to the A380 with significant effects on the value of Airbus shares. On 2 June 2006 Rothschild valued the company's share at £1.87 billion, well below its own analysts' and even EADS's expectations. The BAE Systems board recommended that

10900-399: The support and engineering activities of the business. In September 2011, BAE Systems began consultation with unions and workers over plans to cut nearly 3,000 jobs, mostly in the company's military aircraft division. In its 2012 half-year report, the company revealed a 10% decline in revenue in the six months up to 30 June due to falling demand for armaments. In May 2012 the governments of

11009-449: The two companies. However the difficulties of integrating the companies in this way led to a re-evaluation of the proposal; BAE Systems' 2004 Annual Report states that "recognising the complexity of the earlier proposed Eurosystems transaction with Finmeccanica we have moved to a simpler model". The main part of this deal was the dissolution of AMS and the establishment of SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems ; BAE Systems sold its 25% share of

11118-436: The world's most important defence contractors . GEC's major defence related acquisitions included Associated Electrical Industries in 1967, Yarrow Shipbuilders in 1985, Plessey companies in 1989, parts of Ferranti 's defence business in 1990, the rump of Ferranti when it went into receivership in 1993/1994, Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering in 1995 and Kværner Govan in 1999. In June 1998, MES acquired Tracor ,

11227-491: Was also under pressure to participate in defence industry consolidation. Reporting the appointment of George Simpson as GEC managing director in 1996, The Independent said "some analysts believe that Mr Simpson's inside knowledge of BAe, a long-rumoured GEC bid target, was a key to his appointment. GEC favours forging a national 'champion' defence group with BAe to compete with the giant US organisations." When GEC put MES up for sale on 22 December 1998, British Aerospace abandoned

11336-423: Was announced that the RAF and RN would retire their remaining Harriers by 2011, and in December 2010 the RAF's Harrier GR9s made their last operational flights. In June 2011, the MoD denied press reports that the aircraft were to be sold to the US Marine Corps for spares to support their AV-8B fleet. However, at the end of November 2011, Defence Minister Peter Luff announced the sale of the final 72 Harriers to

11445-631: Was awarded a £248 million contract from the British government to build three new offshore patrol vessels . In October 2014, BAE Systems won a £600 million contract from the MoD to maintain Portsmouth naval base for five years. During 2014 BAE Systems acquired US-based cybersecurity firm Silversky for $ 232.5 million. During Prime Minister Theresa May 's visit to Turkey in January 2017, BAE and TAI officials signed an agreement, worth about £100 million, for BAE to provide assistance in developing

11554-496: Was expected to cover "all the costs of completion of the current contract". The troubled Nimrod project would ultimately be cancelled as part of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). The UK government, following a cabinet row described as "one of the most bitter Cabinet disputes over defence contracts since the Westland helicopter affair in 1985", ordered 20 BAE Hawk trainer aircraft with 24 options in July 2003 in

11663-442: Was formed on 30 November 1999 by the £ 7.7 billion purchase of and merger of Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc (GEC), with British Aerospace , an aircraft, munitions and naval systems manufacturer. BAE Systems is the successor to various aircraft, shipbuilding, armoured vehicle, armaments and defence electronics companies, including

11772-468: Was in takeover discussions with TRW , an American aerospace, automotive and defence business. This was prompted by Northrop Grumman 's £4.1 billion (approx. US$ 6 billion c. 2002) hostile bid for TRW in February 2002. A bidding war between BAE Systems, Northrop and General Dynamics ended on 1 June when Northrop's increased bid of £5.1 billion was accepted. On 11 December 2002, BAE Systems issued

11881-405: Was the merger of BAE's share of Matra BAe Dynamics and the missile division of Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS) into MBDA in December. MBDA thus became the world's second largest missile manufacturer. Although EADS (now Airbus SE ) was later reported to be interested in acquiring full control of MBDA, BAE said that, unlike Airbus, MBDA is a "core business". In June 2002, BAE Systems confirmed it

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