HENSOLDT (formerly Airbus Defence Electronics) has acquired Kelvin Hughes, a company that manufactures and supplies maritime navigation, surveillance and security radar systems. This acquisition is a result of ECI Partners, the owners of Kelvin Huges selling their investment in the company. The completion of the transaction currently remains subject to regulatory clearances.
Kelvin Hughes was bought by ECI from the Smiths Group. They have been a consistent and supportive partner of Kelvin Hughes as it consolidated its position as one of the global leader in surveillance and security radar solutions. With the support of ECI, the company has developed cutting-edge technologies, introduced new solutions and expanded global reach across 60 countries. The partnership with HENSOLDT for the next phase will help Kelvin Hughes benefit from HENSOLDT's expertise and capabilities in sensors and thus offer additional services to clients and opportunities to employees.
HENSOLDT is a leading independent sensor house. It is a provider of radar and IFF systems for airborne, naval and land platforms. It comprises the security and defense 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.
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. Their portfolios and market access are highly complementary and is expected to see significant growth from this transaction. The Kelvin Hughes product portfolio will allow HENSOLDT to enter more price-sensitive markets and 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.
