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.
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. 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, 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. 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.] |
A time lapse picture of a MBDA Aster missile during testing (picture of a single missile launch at different 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
**
Aspide**
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**
Otomat/Teseo**
Marte*
Anti-tank missiles:
**
MILAN**
Trigat**
ERYX - short range
**
Brimstone ATGM - air-launched
**
HOT*
Systems
**
Spada**
Eurosam SAMP/T**
Eurosam PAAMS**
Eurosam SAAM-IT**
Eurosam SAAM-FR*Britain:
**Filton,
Bristol**Lostock,
Bolton**Six Hills,
Stevenage**Strand,
London*France:
**Vélizy,
Paris**Châtillon,
Paris**
Bourges*Italy:
**
Roma**
La Spezia**Fusaro,
NapoliThis information is correct as of February 2006.*
EADS (37.5%)
*
BAE Systems (37.5%)
*
Finmeccanica (25%)
*
MBDA website
