Leonardo DRS Inc., a provider of satellite communications services to the US government, has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Global Enterprise Solutions (GES) business to SES for $450m.
The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of Leonardo DRS and of SES. The finalisation of the deal is targeted for the second half of 2022 subject to regulatory approvals.
Commenting on the deal, Bill Lynn, CEO of Leonardo DRS, said: “The DRS GES business is well-respected by its customers and within the satellite communications (SATCOM) provider services market, and we are very pleased with the agreement reached with SES. While the DRS GES business has flourished, Leonardo DRS has shifted its portfolio focus, and selling it now makes the most business sense.”
The DRS GES business is a provider of commercial satellite communications to the US Government, and delivers world-class, mission-critical satellite communications and security solutions to customers anywhere in the world.
SES plans to organise the DRS GES business unit under SES Government Solutions (SES GS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES. For over 40 years, SES GS has supported the mission-essential operations of Combatant Command (COCOM), Military Services, and other US Government customers. SES GS delivers satellite communication solutions leveraging SES’s 70 satellites at geostationary and medium earth orbits and supporting ground infrastructure.
Pete Hoene, President and CEO of SES Government Solutions, added: “SES GS is the only satellite operator with operational experience delivering multi-orbit, multi-band managed SATCOM services to the Department of Defense (DoD) and its warfighters. With SES GS and DRS GES’ deep and trusted relationships with US Government agencies, we look forward to continuing to provide critical elements to meet the DoD’s connectivity requirements and deliver assured communications.”
Leonardo DRS regularly assesses its portfolio to ensure strong alignment with our customers’ needs and priorities. As the company continues to focus on transforming to meet the DoD’s important priorities, this divestiture will allow the company to consider larger potential acquisitions that would strengthen its core capabilities and open new market opportunities.
Lynn stated: “As we enter a new and exciting phase at Leonardo DRS, we are investing in our strengths to improve our core capabilities. We are looking beyond incremental technology advances and moving towards a larger role in producing ground-breaking, market-disruptive technologies for our customer needs today, and well into the future.”
Hoene concluded: “The combination of SES GS and DRS GES businesses unites the leader in multi-orbit satellite networking with unparalleled US Government satellite communications integration. Both SES GS and DRS GES have a trusted reputation for delivering the best network solutions to meet unique and demanding US Government requirements.”
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