FARNBOROUGH, England, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- BAE Systems is buying the British government and commercial software business of Petards Ltd.
"The deal delivers ownership of Petards Universal Video Management System -- UVMS --Advantage.net and Cobyt, software products into the ownership of BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies -- Insyte. The deal also includes the capability for systems delivery and support currently provided by security software specialists at Petards Sunbury site," BAE Systems said in a statement Thursday.
Guy Griffiths, managing director BAE Systems' Insyte said: "BAE Systems is recognized as a leading systems integrator in (Britain) and export defense market and this acquisition supports the Company strategy to secure a position in the (British) National Security and Resilience -- NS&R -- market.
"Petards have many years of experience in supplying high technology solutions and specialist engineering services to local government and security services. This acquisition perfectly blends our technological heritage with the latest innovations in product development and NS&R systems provision," Griffiths said.
"Acquiring this level of security expertise and equipment delivers yet another fundamental building block that will provide the foundations for BAE Systems National Security and Resilience capability in the future," Griffiths said. "This is an excellent example of partnership between an industry flagship and an SME working together to deliver mutual commercial advantage while delivering real value to customers."
BAE Systems describes itself as "the premier global defense and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 96,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded $27 billion in 2006."
