Leonardo Completes Acquisition of Hensoldt Stake
The Italian company paid €606 million in cash for 25.1% of Hensoldt's shares
Eyal Boguslavsky
| 04/01/2022
A Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon performs a low level pass of Dunmail Raise in the Lake District, Cumbria, UK on 29th September 2020. Photo by Robert Smith/MI News/NurPhoto via REUTERS
Italian company Leonardo announced earlier this week that it has completed the acquisition of 25.1% of the shares in Hensoldt, a leading German player in the field of sensors for defense and security applications, with an expanding portfolio in sensors, data management and robotics, for a cash consideration of € 606 million.
As early as April 2021, IsraelDefense reported on the start of this acquisition process (https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/49566). Because of the stake purchase, Leonardo will become the largest shareholder of Hensoldt alongside Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) which is 80% owned by the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Italian defense and aerospace conglomerate noted in her announcement that this transaction is a step forward achieve Leonardo’s strategic objective of acquiring a leadership position in the European Defense Electronics market, This investment will allow Leonardo to establish a long-term strategic presence in the fast growing German defense market and to strengthen the long-standing partnership between the two companies through the definition of cooperation initiatives for the development of joint opportunities able to satisfy the most advanced requirements of domestic and international customers in the Air, Land and Naval domains.
Hensoldt and Leonardo already cooperate on programs such as Eurofighter Typhoon. It should also be mentioned that in the past year, IsraelDefense website has reported several times on Hansoldt's cooperation with the Israeli Aerospace Industry (IAI) regarding the supply of radars to both the German navy and the German ballistic missile defense system.
The Italian company paid €606 million in cash for 25.1% of Hensoldt's shares
A Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon performs a low level pass of Dunmail Raise in the Lake District, Cumbria, UK on 29th September 2020. Photo by Robert Smith/MI News/NurPhoto via REUTERS
Italian company Leonardo announced earlier this week that it has completed the acquisition of 25.1% of the shares in Hensoldt, a leading German player in the field of sensors for defense and security applications, with an expanding portfolio in sensors, data management and robotics, for a cash consideration of € 606 million.
As early as April 2021, IsraelDefense reported on the start of this acquisition process (https://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/49566). Because of the stake purchase, Leonardo will become the largest shareholder of Hensoldt alongside Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) which is 80% owned by the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Italian defense and aerospace conglomerate noted in her announcement that this transaction is a step forward achieve Leonardo’s strategic objective of acquiring a leadership position in the European Defense Electronics market, This investment will allow Leonardo to establish a long-term strategic presence in the fast growing German defense market and to strengthen the long-standing partnership between the two companies through the definition of cooperation initiatives for the development of joint opportunities able to satisfy the most advanced requirements of domestic and international customers in the Air, Land and Naval domains.
Hensoldt and Leonardo already cooperate on programs such as Eurofighter Typhoon. It should also be mentioned that in the past year, IsraelDefense website has reported several times on Hansoldt's cooperation with the Israeli Aerospace Industry (IAI) regarding the supply of radars to both the German navy and the German ballistic missile defense system.
