HENSOLDT Acquires Kelvin Hughes

Kelvin Hughes is delighted to announce it is to be acquired by HENSOLDT (formerly Airbus Defence Electronics) as a result of an agreement by its owners ECI Partners to sell its investment in the company. Completion of the transaction remains subject to regulatory clearances.

Russell Gould, CEO of Kelvin Hughes said: “Following the buyout from Smiths Group, ECI has been a consistent and supportive partner as we have consolidated our position as a global leader in surveillance and security radar solutions.

“With the support of ECI, we have developed cutting-edge technologies, introduced new solutions and expanded our global reach across 60 countries. We are excited to partner with HENSOLDT on the next phase of Kelvin Hughes’ growth, benefiting from its expertise and capabilities in sensors to offer additional services to our clients and further opportunities to our employees.”

HENSOLDT, the leading independent sensor house, is a provider of radar and IFF systems on airborne, naval and land platforms. It comprises the security and defence electronics activities of the Airbus Group, which were spun off in 2017 and have now entered the market as a new sensor house under the brand name of HENSOLDT. Its flagship product, the TRS series represents a new generation of radar systems for naval and land platforms and offers a detection capability without equal together with cutting edge AESA technology.

Thomas Müller, CEO of HENSOLDT said: “Kelvin Hughes is highly successful in the marine and security markets, while HENSOLDT has a strong position in the higher-end military and surveillance radar domains. Our portfolios and market access are highly complementary and we will see significant growth from this transaction. The Kelvin Hughes product portfolio will allow us to enter more price-sensitive markets and their security solutions will add value to the HENSOLDT products and bring us one step closer towards our strategic objective to develop our Sensor House into a Sensor Solutions provider.”

Core radar sensor, security and navigation products provided by Kelvin Hughes include the SharpEye™ advanced solid state Doppler radar sensor, which is sold into a diverse range of markets and applications from naval and commercial maritime navigation, port Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and coastal surveillance to ground surveillance, border, perimeter and marine security applications.

Russell Gould went on to say: “I am proud that Kelvin Hughes now becomes a part of HENSOLDT. Both companies have shaped the radar market for seven decades and I am looking forward to the tremendous opportunities we will have together and the new solutions we can jointly offer to our customers.”