Thales has entered into exclusive negotiations to acquire Cobham Aerospace Communications (AeroComms) for $1.1 bn. With this acquisition Thales plans to strengthen its Avionics portfolio by adding global leading position in safety cockpit communications.
“With the acquisition of Cobham Aerospace Communications Thales will establish a game changer in the very attractive and fast-growing communications and connectivity market to the benefit of a more sustainable aerospace future. By guaranteeing a cyber-secured, live connection between the cockpit and air traffic control, aircraft will be able to fly optimized trajectories in real time, significantly reducing fuel consumption and, consequently, CO2 emissions in the next two to three years,” commented Yannick Assouad, executive vice-president avionics, Thales.
“We are proud to join Thales, which will provide Cobham Aerospace Communications with a platform to build on recent success, continue the development of several cutting-edge avionics products, and ensure the business’ future growth,” added Nicolas Bonleux, chief executive officer Cobham. “The aircraft connectivity and communication markets will undergo a true revolution in the coming years, which will unlock potential for unique avionics products like ours. Our combined offering with Thales Avionics will enable us to further accelerate our contribution to safer, greener, more comfortable and more efficient air travel.”
Thales claim that by integrating AeroComms’ unique leading safety cockpit communication systems portfolio, it will be ideally positioned to seize the opportunity of the shift towards connected cockpits. By the end of the decade, Thales will hence be able to fully address the permanent and secured connectivity needs of the aeronautical market.
Besides the addition of AeroComms will improve Thales Avionics’ sales growth and EBIT margin profile.