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Leidos has announced the finalisation of its acquisition of Cobham Special Mission.
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The acquisition, which was first announced in August, will expand Leidos’ portfolio into the Australian aviation and border security sectors.
Cobham Aviation Services Australia’s Special Mission works under contract with the Australian Border Force to provide fixed wing border surveillance.
“It’s a milestone day for all of us at Cobham Special Mission and the beginning of a new and exciting chapter as we become Leidos,” said James Woodhams, Leidos Australia vice president of airborne solutions.
“Leidos is a recognised employer of choice and I’m really excited about what being part of Leidos means for our people.”
Cobham Special Mission is the largest outsourced civil maritime surveillance operation in the world, covering the 8.2 million square kilometre area that is Australia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) using a fleet of modified Bombardier Challenger jets fitted with state-of-the-art command and control systems and sensors.
“We are excited and eager to formally welcome Cobham’s Special Mission team to the Leidos family,” said Roger Krone, CEO and chairman of Leidos.
“Bringing in the Special Mission business will build on our global airborne ISR capabilities while providing new opportunities for growth. Together with Leidos Australia leadership, I look forward to working with this talented team.”
“On behalf of Leidos, I want to express a warm welcome to the Cobham Special Mission team,” said Paul Chase, chief executive of Leidos Australia.
“This team brings a tremendous reputation from across industry and government. We look forward to continuing to provide exceptional service to our customers.”
Chase has previously stated that the acquisition of Cobham Aviation Services’ Special Mission by Leidos would expand on the company’s capabilities in Australia.
“I have the greatest respect and admiration for Cobham’s Special Mission team and their performance in service to the government,” said Chase.
“The addition of the Special Mission business will bring new, expansive services to our offerings across Australia. I look forward to working with this exceptional team.”
Leidos has seen significant growth in the Australian market that it could use as a foundation for further expansion into the greater Asia-Pacific region.
Since its merger with US aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin in 2016, Leidos has furthered its expansion in Australia, becoming one of the largest prime systems integrators servicing Australia’s federal public sector market.
Placing a key focus on the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Leidos has been so successful, that between 45 per cent and 50 per cent of the company’s US$1 billion (roughly AU$1.557 billion) in overseas sales revenue in 2020 came from the Australian market.
[Related: Leidos lands multibillion-dollar Sentinel contract]
