MBDA

MBDA is a European arms company which manufactures missiles and is the result of the 2001 merger of Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles (of EADS), Alenia Marconi Systems' missile divisions and Matra BAe Dynamics. As of 2003 the company had 10,000 employees and in 2005 an annual turnover of €3 bn.

Contents

1 History
2 Product range
3 Locations
4 Shareholders
5 References
6 External links

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. Matra BAe Dynamics represented half of Matra Hautes Technologies' missile business, the other half was Matra Missiles which became Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles 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. Also in 1998, GEC-Marconi (renamed Marconi Electronic Systems) was sold to British Aerospace and became part of the merged company, BAE Systems.

In December 2001, MBDA was created.

In June 2005, LFK, a unit of EADS Defence and Security Systems, agreed to be merged into MBDA. Oon March 1, 2006, LFK became MBDA Deutschland.

On March 16, 2006 the Financial Times reported the possible sale of BAE's 37.5% share of MBDA. The paper reports that EADS is keen to take full control of the joint venture by acquiring the BAE share and Finmeccanica's 25%."[MBDA prepares for consolidation]." Financial Times. Retrieved March 18, 2006.

Product range

A time lapse picture of a MBDA Aster missile during testing (picture of a single missle launch at differen't times)

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
* Rapier
* Seawolf
Air-to-surface missiles:
* Apache and derivatives such as SCALP/Storm Shadow
* AS 30 laser-guided missile
* PGM 500 and PGM 2000 guided missiles
Anti-ship missiles:
* Exocet
Anti-tank missiles:
* MILAN
* Trigat
* ERYX - short range
* Brimstone ATGM - air-launched
* HOT

Locations

Britain:
*Filton, Bristol
*Lostock, Bolton
*Six Hills, Stevenage
*Strand, London

France:
*Bourges

Shareholders

This information is correct as of February 2006.

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

References

External links

[MBDA website]

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