Leidos Australia to acquire Cobham’s Special Mission aircraft unit
If its acquisition proceeds, Leidos Australia will pick up civil contracts such as the one with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, but it will also hope to exploit the defence sector. (AMSA)
Leidos Australia plans to acquire the Special Mission business side of Cobham Aviation Services Australia, the company announced on 2 August.
The acquisition from Cobham Limited is significant as it adds both an airborne surveillance, and search and rescue component to Leidos Australia’s portfolio. Of course, the deal must first gain regulatory approvals.
This Special Mission business already provides airborne border surveillance and search and rescue services to the Australian government.
Roger Krone, the Leidos Chairman and CEO, commented: ‘Cobham’s Special Mission team conducts essential operations that protect Australia’s borders, support law enforcement and environmental protection and save lives. The integration of
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Air Warfare
-
France air focus: Lower-cost sovereign capabilities propel $11.38 billion UAV market
France is estimated to be Europe’s second-highest spender on UAVs, with a market focused on domestic production, loitering munitions and lower-cost sovereign systems. Its spending profile highlights substantial future market opportunities while reflecting broader industry trends.
-
Eurosatory 2026: Helicopters and CUAS set to dominate as Europe advances rearmament efforts
The biennial show in Paris will focus heavily on autonomous technology, counter-drone solutions and helicopters, as countries ramp up defence budgets and focus on modernising defence capabilities.
-
North American appetite for European AEW&C aircraft bolstered as Canada picks GlobalEye
Canada’s selection of Saab’s GlobalEye to fulfil its airborne early warning requirements draws the country closer to European industry over American-made platforms, snubbing Boeing and L3Harris.
-
Hezbollah’s fibre-optic drones expose Israel’s counter-UAV gap in southern Lebanon
Israel is working to close a counter-drone capability gap exposed by Hezbollah's fibre-optic systems, drawing on battlefield lessons from Ukraine to replace improvised defences with targeted solutions.
-
US Air Force to fast-track capability development for GPS-denied operations
Over the next 18 months, the air force's research facility intends to accelerate the progress of resilient, autonomous solutions to support aircraft and helicopter deployments in DDIL overland and over-the-water scenarios.