Misplaced Pages

Marconi Electronic Systems Limited

Founded	20 July 1897 (as Marconi Company)
Defunct	30 November 1999
Fate	Merged with British Aerospace
Successor	BAE Systems
Headquarters	Chelmsford, England
Key people	Guglielmo Marconi Arnold Weinstock
Parent	General Electric Company

Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), or GEC-Marconi as it was until 1998, was the defence arm of General Electric Company (GEC). It was split off from GEC and bought by British Aerospace (BAe) on 30 November 1999 to form BAE Systems. GEC then renamed itself Marconi plc.

MES exists today as BAE Systems Electronics Limited, a subsidiary of BAE Systems, but the assets were rearranged elsewhere within that company. MES-related businesses include BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, BAE Systems Surface Ships, BAE Systems Insyte and Selex ES (now a part of Leonardo).

History

The Marconi Company had been formed by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 in Britain, originally under the name of The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company. Following GEC's acquisition of Marconi as part of English Electric in 1968, the Marconi brand was used for its defence businesses, e.g. Marconi Space & Defence Systems (MSDS), Marconi Underwater Systems Ltd (MUSL).

When it was bought by General Electric, MES represented the pinnacle of GEC's defence businesses which had a heritage of almost 100 years. GEC's history of military products dates back to World War I with its contribution to the war effort then including radios and bulbs. World War II consolidated this position with the company involved in many important technological advances, most notably radar.

Between 1945 and GEC's demerger of its defence business in 1999, the company became a major defence contractor. GEC's major defence related acquisitions included Associated Electrical Industries in 1967, English Electric Company (including Marconi as a subsidiary) in 1968, Yarrow Shipbuilders in 1985, parts of Ferranti's defence business in 1990, Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering in 1995 and Kvaerner Govan in 1999. In June 1998, MES acquired Tracor, a major American defence contractor, for US$1.4 billion.

Demerger

The 1997 merger of American corporations Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, which followed the forming of Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defence contractor in 1995, increased the pressure on European defence companies to consolidate. In June 1997, British Aerospace Defence managing director John Weston commented "Europe... is supporting three times the number of contractors on less than half the budget of the U.S.". European governments wished to see the merger of their defence manufacturers into a single entity, a European Aerospace and Defence Company.

As early as 1995, British Aerospace and the German aerospace and defence company DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA) were said to be keen to create a transnational aerospace and defence company. Merger discussions began between British Aerospace and DASA in July 1998. A merger was agreed between British Aerospace chairman Richard Evans and DASA CEO Jürgen Schrempp in December 1998.

GEC was also under pressure to participate in defence industry consolidation. Reporting the appointment of George Simpson as GEC managing director in 1996, The Independent had said "some analysts believe that Mr Simpson's inside knowledge of BAe, a long-rumoured GEC bid target, was a key to his appointment. GEC favours forging a national "champion" defence group with BAe to compete with the giant US organisations". When GEC put MES up for sale on 22 December 1998, BAE abandoned the DASA merger in favour of purchasing its British rival. The merger of British Aerospace and MES was announced on 19 January 1999. Evans stated that in 2004 that his fear was that an American defence contractor would acquire MES and challenge both British Aerospace and DASA. The merger created a vertically integrated company which The Scotsman described as " contracting and platform-building skills with Marconi's coveted electronics systems capability". for example combining the manufacturer of the Eurofighter with the company that provided many of the aircraft's electronic systems; British Aerospace was MES' largest customer. In contrast, DASA's response to the breakdown of the merger discussion was to merge with Aérospatiale to create the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), a horizontal integration. EADS has since considered a merger with Thales to create a "fully rounded" company.

While MES was responsible for the majority of GEC's defence sales other GEC companies achieved defence related sales, principally GEC Alsthom, GEC-Plessey Telecommunications (GPT) and GEC Plessey Semiconductors.

Organisation

• Marconi Avionics
• Marconi North America
• Marconi Naval Systems
• Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS)
• Matra Marconi Space
• Thomson Marconi Sonar
• Marconi Research Centre
• Marconi Radar Systems
• Marconi Communications Systems

Major projects

This is a partial list:

• Produced 12 of the class of 16 Type 23 frigates. Also the major electronics and equipment supplier for the class.
• Civil avionics, e.g. Boeing 777 fly-by-wire systems
• UK prime contractor on the Horizon CNGF programme until 1999. Following the withdrawal of the UK from the programme, MES was awarded the subsequent Type 45 destroyer prime contractor position several days before merging with BAe.
• Part of Raytheon ASTOR bid team
• Royal Navy Astute-class fleet submarines
• Brimstone Anti-Armour Missile
• TIALD laser designator pod
• AI.24 Foxhunter, radar for the Tornado
• ECR-90, radar for the Eurofighter Typhoon.
• Member of Boeing X-32 JSF development team
• Battlefield Artillery Target Engagement System (BATES) for use with MLRS and AS-90

Naval weapons

• Spearfish torpedo
• Sting Ray torpedo

Spacecraft

• Ariel 6
• Prospero X-3
• Zircon (satellite)

See also

• Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom
• GEC-Marconi scientist deaths conspiracy theory – Article about the 25+ defence employees who have died in mysterious circumstances since the early 1980s
• CMC Electronics – formerly the Canadian Marconi Company, once part of EE/GEC & BAe

References

1. "Marconi's first radio broadcast made 125 years ago". BBC News. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
2. Rothman, Andrea; Landberg, Reed (15 June 1997). "Europe Defense Firms Feel Pressure to Unite". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
3. "Business: The Company File: Defence merger on the radar". BBC. 10 July 1998. Retrieved 15 September 2007.
4. Jones, Adam (20 January 1999). "Europe cries foul as New BAe emerges". The Times.
5. ^ Spiegel, Peter (17 July 2004). "The largest aerospace companies gather next week for the Farnborough air show but the event will be without its long-time unofficial host". Financial Times. p. 11.
6. Hotten, Russell (19 March 1996). "GEC confirms Simpson job". The Independent. p. 17.
7. BAE Systems Annual Report 1999 p.22 BAE Systems plc (2000) Retrieved 27 October 2006
8. Nevill, Louise (4 January 1999). "BAe and Marconi moving toward merger". The Scotsman. p. 17.
9. "Speculation Rises on GEC Merger". The Scotsman. 28 December 1998.
10. "Getting it together?". The Economist. 20 July 2002.
11. "Battlefield Artillery Target Engagement System - Hansard - UK Parliament".
12. "Second Day's Debate - Hansard - UK Parliament".

External links

• Marconi Electronic Systems Part 1
• "Forty Years of Marconi Radar from 1946 to 1986", GEC Review, Volume 13, No. 3, 1998
• Boeing, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, and Raytheon to create B2B exchange for the aerospace and defense industry, powered by Microsoft

v t e Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom
Economy of the United Kingdom Manufacturing in the United Kingdom
companies	current AD Aerospace Airbus UK Airbus Defence and Space Surrey Satellite Technology AirTanker Services Babcock International BAE Systems Military Air Solutions Eurofighter GmbH (33%) MBDA (37.5% as MBDA UK) BBA Aviation Boeing Defence UK British Airways Engineering Britten-Norman Chemring Group Cobham Technical Services Draken Europe Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Europa Aircraft General Dynamics UK GE Aviation Systems GFS Projects GKN Hybrid Air Vehicles IRVIN-GQ Leonardo AgustaWestland Finmeccanica UK Ltd Lockheed Martin UK Marshall Aerospace Martin-Baker Meggitt Qinetiq Rolls-Royce Rotol Safran Landing Systems Selex ES Short Brothers Skyrora Swift Aircraft Telespazio VEGA Thales Air Defence Thales Optronics TUI Airways Ultra Electronics defunct ADC Aircraft Abbott-Baynes Sailplanes ABC Motors Air Navigation and Engineering Company Airco The Airscrew Company Airship Industries Airspeed Airwork Services Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Arrow Aircraft Auster Austin Motor Company Aviation Traders Avro Beagle Aircraft William Beardmore and Company Blackburn Aircraft Boulton & Paul Boulton Paul Aircraft Bristol Aeroplane Company British Aerial Transport British Aerospace British Aircraft Company British Aircraft Corporation British Aircraft Manufacturing BTR Aerospace Central Aircraft Company Chilton Aircraft Chrislea Aircraft Clayton & Shuttleworth Comper Aircraft Company Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft Dart Aircraft de Havilland Aeronautical Technical School Propellers Desoutter Aircraft Company Dowty Group Dunlop Standard Aerospace ED Abbott Edgar Percival Aircraft Elliotts of Newbury English Electric Euravia Fairey Aviation Company Fane Aircraft Company Ferranti Folland Aircraft Foster, Wikner Aircraft Garland Aircraft Company General Aircraft General Electric Company Gloster Aircraft Company Grahame-White Handley Page Hants and Sussex Aviation Hawker Aircraft Hawker Siddeley Heston Aircraft Company Hewlett & Blondeau Hordern-Richmond Hunting Aircraft Kingsbury Aviation Lakes Flying Company Lindstrand Technologies Luton Aircraft M. B. Arpin & Co. Marconi Company Electronic Systems Martinsyde Matra Marconi Space Miles Aircraft Moss Brothers Aircraft D. Napier & Son Nash & Thompson National Aircraft Factory No. 2 Nieuport & General Aircraft Norman Thompson Flight Company Parnall Parnall & Sons Port Victoria Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot Lang Propellers Reaction Engines Reid and Sigrist Rollason Aircraft and Engines Royal Aircraft Establishment Saunders-Roe Scottish Aviation Seaplane Experimental Station SELEX Galileo SELEX Sistemi Integrati Siddeley-Deasy Sopwith Aviation Company Spartan Aircraft Supermarine Vickers Vickers-Armstrongs Westland Aircraft Westland Helicopters J. Samuel White
government and regulatory bodies	Civil Aviation Authority Defence Electronics and Components Agency Defence Science and Technology Laboratory European Aviation Safety Agency
related topics	ADS Group Farnborough International Airshow NATS Holdings NDI UK ParcAberporth Royal Aeronautical Society Royal International Air Tattoo Society of British Aerospace Companies
Category

• Aircraft component manufacturers of the United Kingdom
• Avionics companies
• BAE Systems subsidiaries and divisions
• British companies established in 1897
• Companies based in Chelmsford
• Defunct technology companies of the United Kingdom
• Electronics companies of the United Kingdom
• Former defence companies of the United Kingdom
• General Electric Company
• Guglielmo Marconi
• Manufacturing companies established in 1897
• Radar manufacturers
• Science and technology in Essex
• 1999 mergers and acquisitions