QinetiQ targets unmanned aerial targets with acquisition of Meggitt division

Executives of defense electronics specialist QinetiQ in Farnborough, England, are boosting the company's expertise in military unmanned aerial target systems with their acquisition of Meggitt Target Systems Ltd. in Ashford, England. The deal, worth 57.5 million British pounds sterling (about $71.3 million), comprises Meggitt Defense Systems Limited in Ashford, England, and Meggitt Holdings Canada Inc. in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Together these two entities make up Meggitt Target Systems, an international provider of unmanned aerial, naval, and land-based targets and services for test, evaluation, training, and mission rehearsal. The company provides targets to about 40 countries, and performs on-site target services in 15 of those countries. Meggitt Target Systems will form part of QinetiQ's new International business unit within QinetiQ's Global Products division in Ashford, England. QinetiQ officials say the acquisition opens new routes to market to accelerate QinetiQ's international growth; adds several customer relationships in Europe, Asia, and North America; and establishes design and manufacture capabilities in Canada.