MBDA

MBDA

Industry	Defence
Founded	December 2001
Headquarters	Paris, France
Key people	Antoine Bouvier (CEO)
Products	Missiles
Revenue	€2.8 billion
Employees	10,600
Parent	EADS (37.5%) BAE Systems (37.5%) Finmeccanica (25%)
Website	mbda-systems.com

MBDA is a missile developer and manufacturer with operations in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States. It was formed by a merger of Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles (of EADS), Finmeccanica and Matra BAe Dynamics in December 2001. In 2003 the company had 10,000 employees. In 2010, MBDA recorded a turnover of €2.8 bn, produced over 3,000 missiles and achieved an order book of €10.8 bn. MBDA works with over 90 armed forces worldwide.

History

The consolidation of Europe's missile companies began in 1996, when parts of Matra Defense and BAe Dynamics merged to form Matra BAe Dynamics (MBD). Matra BAe Dynamics represented half of Matra Hautes Technologies' missile business, the other half was Matra Missiles which became Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles (AMM), when Matra merged with Aérospatiale in 1999. In 2000, Aérospatiale-Matra became part of EADS.

In 1998, GEC-Marconi Radar and Defence Systems and Alenia Difesa combined their missile and radar activities to form Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS). In 1999 GEC-Marconi (renamed Marconi Electronic Systems) was sold to British Aerospace and became part of the merged company, BAE Systems.

In December 2001, MBD (including AMM) and the Missile and Missile Systems activities of AMS merged, creating MBDA. In June 2005, LFK, a unit of EADS Defence and Security Systems, agreed to be merged into MBDA. On 1 March, 2006, LFK became MBDA Deutschland. Since 6 February, 2002 MBDA owns 40% of Inmize Sistemas S.L., a Spanish company which was formed to integrate the experience and technology of the major Spanish defence companies in the guided weapons sector. As AMS had R&D assets located in California, MBDA also managed to acquire development and production facilities in the United States, choosing to operate in the country as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Product range

MBDA's products include:

• Air-to-air missiles:
  • AIM-132 ASRAAM - short range, IR guided
  • Meteor - long range, active radar terminal homing
  • Mica - IR and radar guided versions (also SAM)
• Surface-to-air missiles:
  • Mistral (also AAM)
  • Eurosam Aster - medium and long range SAMs, both land and naval versions
  • LFK NG (together with Diehl BGT Defence)
  • Aspide
  • Rapier
  • Seawolf
• Air-to-surface missiles:
  • Apache and derivatives such as Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG
  • AS-30L laser-guided missile
  • PGM 500 and PGM 2000 guided missiles
  • ASMP - French nuclear missile
  • Laser-Guided Zuni
  • Wings for the Small Diameter Bomb
• Anti-ship missiles:
  • Exocet
  • Otomat/Teseo
  • Marte (missile)
  • Sea Skua
• Anti-tank missiles:
  • MILAN
  • PARS 3 LR - long range (together with Diehl BGT Defence)
  • ERYX - short range
  • Brimstone ATGM - air-launched
  • HOT
• Systems
  • Spada
  • Eurosam SAMP/T
  • PAAMS missile system comprising:
    • UKAMS PAAMS(S)
    • Eurosam PAAMS(E)
  • Eurosam SAAM-IT
  • Eurosam SAAM-FR
  • Next Generation Multiple Warhead System

Locations

• France:
  • Bourges
  • Châtillon (Paris)
  • Le Plessis-Robinson (Paris)

• Germany:
  • Ulm
  • Unterschleißheim
  • Schrobenhausen

• Italy:
  • Fusaro, Napoli
  • La Spezia
  • Rome

• United Kingdom:
  • Filton, Bristol
  • Lostock, Bolton
  • Stevenage, Hertfordshire
  • Henlow, Bedfordshire
  • Strand, London

• United States:
  • Westlake Village, CA
  • Washington, DC

Shareholders

As of March 2009 -

• BAE Systems (37.5%)
• EADS (37.5%)
• Finmeccanica (25%)

External links

• MBDA website