BAE Systems to buy Colorado-based Ball Aerospace for $5.55bn英国航空航天系统公司（BAE Systems）将以55.5亿美元收购总部位于科罗拉多州的鲍尔航天公司（Ball Aerospace）。
The takeover is meant to strengthen the British company's position in the defense-related space business.
LONDON — BAE Systems is moving to buy leading U.S. space and defense supplier Ball Aerospace, marking the Britain-based company’s biggest-ever acquisition.
The $5.55 billion deal will boost BAE’s position across a range of activities, notably the space sector, where Ball is a top-ranked supplier of spacecraft, mission payloads and other systems. The space and military portfolio makes up 70% of Ball’s business.
BAE boss Charles Woodburn described the acquisition as a “rare opportunity” to acquire a business of such scale and quality.
“The strategic and financial rationale is compelling as we continue to focus on areas of high-priority defense and intelligence spending,” the CEO said in a statement.
BAE Systems ranked seventh in the recently published Defense News Top 100 annual ranking of global defense companies, with revenue in the defense sector topping $25 billion in 2022. Ball Corporation booked defense-related revenue of $1.7 billion during that year, putting the company on rank 54, up from 61 in last year’s list.
The business BAE is buying is based in Colorado, employs 5200 people and has an annual turnover of $2.2 billion.
It’s best known for its space-related activities but also has a position as a systems supplier in the fields of communications, intelligence, missiles and munitions, among others.
Subject to regulatory approval, BAE expects to complete the deal in the first half of 2024.
Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.
伦敦——英国航空航天系统公司 (BAE Systems) 正计划收购美国领先的航天和国防供应商 Ball Aerospace，这将是这家总部位于英国的公司有史以来规模最大的收购。
这项价值55.5亿美元的交易将提升BAE系统公司在多个领域的地位，尤其是在航天领域。Ball公司是航天器、任务载荷和其他系统的主要供应商之一。航天和军事业务占Ball公司总业务的70%。
BAE 总裁查尔斯·伍德伯恩将此次收购描述为收购如此规模和质量的企业的“难得机会”。
“从战略和财务角度来看，这样做是合理的，因为我们将继续专注于国防和情报支出等高优先级领域，”首席执行官在一份声明中表示。
BAE Systems在最近发布的《防务新闻》全球百强国防公司年度排名中位列第七，2022年国防领域的收入超过250亿美元。Ball Corporation当年的国防相关收入为17亿美元，排名升至第54位，比去年的第61位有所上升。
BAE 收购的这家公司总部位于科罗拉多州，拥有 5200 名员工，年营业额达 22 亿美元。
该公司以其航天相关活动而闻名，但也作为系统供应商在通信、情报、导弹和弹药等领域占有一席之地。
获得监管部门批准后，BAE预计将于2024年上半年完成该交易。
Andrew Chuter 是《防务新闻》的英国记者。