Publication: ASD Network Issued: Thales Date: 2005-12-30 Reporter: Thales Reporter:

ThyssenKrupp Technologies and EADS jointly acquire Atlas Elektronik

 

Publication 

ASD Network

Issued

Thales
Date

2005-12-30

Web Link

www.asd-network.com

 

(Essen/Munich, 30 Dec. 2005) -- On 30 December 2005, ThyssenKrupp Technologies and EADS have signed an agreement with BAE Systems on the joint acquisition of Atlas Elektronik, Bremen. In accordance with the agreement, ThyssenKrupp Technologies will hold 60 percent of Atlas and EADS 40 percent.

With Atlas Elektronik, both companies will pool their competencies in platform, electronic and system activities in the naval field, thus creating a strong naval electronics and systems company in Bremen. In this way, the consortium forms a solid base for preserving jobs and securing know-how in Germany.

With a workforce of 1,750, Atlas Elektronik is a leading company for electronics and systems and specializes in equipment and systems for naval forces. It has a balanced technology base and product programme for submarines and surface vessels. Atlas Elektronik is market leader in the development of integrated sonar systems for submarines and an important supplier to ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. EADS has complementary activities in the field of naval electronics and systems integration that will strengthen, broaden and significantly improve the competitiveness of this business.

The joint acquisition by ThyssenKrupp Technologies and EADS will considerably strengthen Atlas Elektronik in Bremen. The newly created “Maritime Electronics House“ will profit from both parent companies: as European leader in defence technology, EADS is in a strong position in its home markets. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems is a systems company with a strong position in naval shipbuilding and, with its focus on frigates and corvettes, it unites the core competencies of German naval shipbuilding in the area of conventional submarines and surface vessels. Combining the expertise of the three companies in the export market creates new business opportunities.

“The acquisition of Atlas Elektronik is a continuation of the consolidation of the German naval industry that began with the link-up of ThyssenKrupp shipyards and HDW,” declared Dr. Olaf Berlien, CEO of ThyssenKrupp Technologies.

EADS is contributing its core competence as electronics and systems integration partner of the shipbuilding industry. Dr. Stefan Zoller, CEO of EADS Defence & Security Systems, said: "With this step, we are making a significant contribution to the consolidation of the German naval system business, thus strengthening our position in the national and European consolidation process. In this way, our consortium is creating sustainability and technological leadership as well as long-term employment perspectives for the Bremen site.”

The acquisition will be completed as soon as the relevant supervisory boards and the relevant antitrust authorities have given their go-aheads.

ThyssenKrupp Technologies is an international, high-tech-oriented machine and plant construction company offering systems, equipment, specialized machines and components as well as associated services are offered on the basis of world-leading market positions and innovative system and engineering competence.

EADS Defence & Security Systems (DS), with revenues of about € 5,4 billion in 2004 and roughly 23,000 employees across ten nations, forms the defence and security pillar within EADS. It offers integrated systems solutions to the new challenges confronting armed forces and homeland security units. It is active in the areas of military aircraft, missile systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems with manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), battlefield management systems, defence electronics, sensors and avionics, and related services. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of € 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of about 110,000.

Contacts: Anja GerberTel.: +49 (0) 201 106 3264 Essen, Germanyanja.gerber@thyssenkrupp.com

Alexander ReinhardtTel.: +49 (0) 171 765 03 20 Munich, Germanyalexander.reinhardt@eads.com

source: EADS

With acknowledgement to Aerospace & Defence News Headlines .


1. Atlas Electronik are the supplier of the ISUS 90-45 Combat Management System for the SA Navy's new Type 209 coastal submarines.

2. Atlas Electronik have always been bitter traditional rival with Thomson-CSF Naval Combat Systems (NCS) (now Thales NCS).

3. Thales were desperately trying to purchase Atlas Electronik from BAE Systems.

4. ThyssenKrupp Technologies are the supplier of the platform for the SA Navy's new MEKO 200AS frigates (also known to some as the Kamerman-klass Patrollie Korvette).

5. EADS are the suppliers of the SA Air Force's new A400M heavy airlift aircraft currently being acquired in a manner which is unfair, unequitable, non-transparent and non-competitive. Its cost-effectiveness is moot, but unlikely.

5. EADS owns Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace (DASA or DACA) which gave out at least 33 Mercedes-Benz and Pajero motorcars to the top decisions-makers of the SA Department of Defence's Strategic Defence Procurement (SDP) programmes, including the Chairman of the ANC (later returned), Deputy Chairman of the ANC, Chairrman of Armscor (2), The Chief of the SANDF (2), The Chief Executive Officer of Armscor and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence). Only the latter was charged and convicted by means of a plea arrangement with the National Prosecutri8ng Authority (NPA) and about five years later is still avoiding his custodial sentence in a seemingly never-ending appeal process.

6. Bizarrely, the NPA assisted the convicted in one instance of the appeal process by supporting a reduction of the very sentence given by one of the most senior magistrates in the country. Fortunately, three senior judges of the High Court were having none of this nonsense and even advised the convicted that he could consider himself lucky not to get a harsher sentence on appeal. Yet the appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) proceeds and it remains to be seen whether the increase the sentence of this ex Member of Parliament.

7. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the ANC (yes, the same one that got the Big Merc from DASA) calls for stronger measures against corruption by municipal employees (bottom feeders), but seems oblivious to corruption by any higher forms of piscatorial life (pelagic species).

8. This story is an example of how to make a simple factual article into a long convoluted piece of propaganda. Hopefully the NIA will intercept it and apply some of their counter-counter-counter measures to it. At the same time they might even ensnare some of their own as well as a couple of IT executives and a secretary-general or few in the hullabulloo.