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United Defense Industries was a United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 defense contractor
Defense contractor

A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides Product s or Service to a defense department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and Electronic Systems....
 which is now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments
BAE Systems Land and Armaments

BAE Systems Land & Armaments was created on June 24 2005, following the completion of BAE Systems plc's acquisition of United Defense and its merger with BAE Systems Land Systems....
. This company produces combat vehicles, artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
, naval guns, missile launchers
Transporter erector launcher

A transporter erector launcher is a vehicle with an integrated Prime mover that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles....
 and precision munitions.

company started as a division of the agricultural machine business, Food Machinery Corporation (FMC), when they won a US government contract to build LVT
Landing Vehicle Tracked

The Landing Vehicle Tracked was an amphibious warfare vehicle used by the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Army during World War II....
s and became a weapon manufacturer during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
.






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United Defense Industries was a United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 defense contractor
Defense contractor

A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides Product s or Service to a defense department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and Electronic Systems....
 which is now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments
BAE Systems Land and Armaments

BAE Systems Land & Armaments was created on June 24 2005, following the completion of BAE Systems plc's acquisition of United Defense and its merger with BAE Systems Land Systems....
. This company produces combat vehicles, artillery
Artillery

Artillery is a military Combat Arms which employs any apparatus, machine, an assortment of tools or instruments, a system or systems used as weapons for the discharge of large projectiles in combat as a major contribution of fire power within the overall military capability of an armed force....
, naval guns, missile launchers
Transporter erector launcher

A transporter erector launcher is a vehicle with an integrated Prime mover that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles....
 and precision munitions.

History

Bae Systems Land Evolution
The company started as a division of the agricultural machine business, Food Machinery Corporation (FMC), when they won a US government contract to build LVT
Landing Vehicle Tracked

The Landing Vehicle Tracked was an amphibious warfare vehicle used by the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Army during World War II....
s and became a weapon manufacturer during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
. Bowen McLaughlin York (later the BMY division of Harsco Corporation
Harsco Corporation

Harsco Corporation is a diversified, worldwide industrial company based in the United States. Harsco operates in 45 countries and employs approximately 21,000 people worldwide....
) also began building tanks around this time and airplanes.

Following a massive decline in orders for tracked combat vehicles between 1983 and 1994 FMC and the Harsco Corporation agreed in January 1994 to combine their defense businesses to form United Defense. The new company owned the former FMC California-based Ground Systems Division and Harsco's Pennsylvania-based BMY Combat Systems Division. The new company restructured its operations to concentrate final assembly and testing to Pennsylvania.

In September 2000, UDI purchased Bofors Weapon Systems AB
Bofors

The name Bofors has been associated with the iron industry for more than 350 years. Located in Karlskoga, Sweden, it originates from the hammer mill "Boofors" founded 1646....
 of Sweden, subsequently renamed Bofors Defence.

UDI was subject to a takeover bid by rival General Dynamics
General Dynamics

General Dynamics Corporation is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world....
 in 1997 but instead chose a (lower) bid from private equity firm The Carlyle Group
Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group is a global private equity investment firm, based in Washington, D.C., with more than $91.5 billion of equity capital under management....
. The Carlyle Group floated the company in 2001 but retained a share of the company.

BAE Systems acquisition

On March 7 2005 UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
-based defence contractor BAE Systems
BAE Systems

BAE Systems plc is a British defense contractor and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire, Hampshire, England, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc....
 announced it was to acquire UDI for $3.974 billion (£2.1 billion). This followed expressions of interest from companies including Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation is an aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the fourth largest defense contractor in the world, and the largest builder of Naval ship....
.

BAE Systems' bid was referred to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is an inter-agency committee of the United States Government that reviews the national security implications of foreign investments of U.S....
 (CFIUS) to ensure there were no national security implications of the sale. The CFIUS granted approval of the deal in April 2005. BAE completed its acquisition of United Defense on June 24 2005 and announced plans to merge the company with its existing land systems businesses to form BAE Systems Land and Armaments
BAE Systems Land and Armaments

BAE Systems Land & Armaments was created on June 24 2005, following the completion of BAE Systems plc's acquisition of United Defense and its merger with BAE Systems Land Systems....
.

Products

United Defense products include:
  • Advance Gun System (AGS) for next generation United States Navy
    United States Navy

    The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
     surface combatants
  • CAESAR advanced artillery system
  • M2 Bradley
    M2 Bradley

    The M2 Bradley IFV and M3 Bradley CFV are United States infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, .As with other infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley is designed to transport infantry offering at least some armored protection while providing fire cover to dismounted troops and suppressing enemy ta...
     Infantry Fighting Vehicle
    Infantry fighting vehicle

    An infantry fighting vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them....
  • M3 Bradley Cavalry
    Cavalry

    The Cavalry is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat, it represents the mobility and offensive power of the armed forces....
     Fighting Vehicle
  • M8 Buford
    M8-AGS

    The United Defense M8 Armored Gun System is a small tank-like vehicle intended to replace the M551 Sheridan in the 82nd Airborne Division , as well as being expected to replace BGM-71 TOW-equipped High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment ....
     Armored Gun System
  • M88 Hercules Armored recovery vehicle
  • M109 Paladin
    M109 howitzer

    The M109 is an United States-made Self-propelled artillery 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It has been continually upgraded and improved to today's current version, the M109A6 Paladin, currently only used by the United States Army....
  • M113 Family
  • Crusader
    XM2001 Crusader

    The XM2001 Crusader was to be the United States Army's next-generation Self-propelled artillery howitzer , designed to improve survivability, lethality, mobility, and effectiveness and planned to be introduced by 2008....
  • Mk41 Vertical Launching System (VLS)
  • Bofors Defence
  • Mark 45 5 inch / 54 caliber
    5-54 Mark 45

    The 5-Inch/54-caliber lightweight gun is a modern U.S. naval artillery gun mount consisting of a 5-inch L54 Mark 19 gun on the Mark 45 mount....
     and 62 caliber lightweight naval gun
    • 155 mm Field Howitzer
    • Ammunition
    • Guns and turrets


External links

  • IPO from CNN Money:
  • BBC News
    BBC News

    BBC News, formerly BBC News and Current Affairs, is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporation's news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online....
    :