BAE Systems

BAE Systems is a British multinational aerospace, arms and information security company based in London, and the largest defence contractor in Europe. It was formed on 30 November 1999 when British Aerospace bought and merged with Marconi Electronic Systems, the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding arm of the General Electric Company. It is the successor to many historic British aircraft, shipbuilding and electronics firms, among them the Marconi Company, A.V. Roe and Company, de Havilland, Hawker Siddeley, the British Aircraft Corporation and Supermarine. Since 1999 it has made acquisitions that include Ball Aerospace, United Defense and Armor Holdings in the United States, and it takes part in major programmes such as the F-35 Lightning II and the Eurofighter Typhoon. For the space atlas it is recorded as one of the large legacy aerospace and defence groups.