BAE Secures Regulatory Approvals for the Acquisition of Ball Aerospace

BAE Systems has now received necessary regulatory approvals to successfully complete the acquisition of Ball Aerospace, which will add market-leading space and defense capabilities to the company’s portfolio of products and services. In the coming days, BAE Systems and Ball Corporation will be executing the steps needed to complete the transaction and close on the Ball Aerospace acquisition.

Ball Aerospace will operate under BAE Systems’ U.S. business as a new sector called Space & Mission Systems, led by Dr. Dave Kaufman. Kaufman currently serves as Ball Corporation senior vice president and the president of Ball Aerospace. Previously, he served as chief operating officer of Ball Aerospace, as well as vice president and general manager of Ball’s National Defense strategic business unit.

“This acquisition underpins our strategy to deliver growth and advance our technology and innovation portfolio in high priority areas identified in the U.S. National Defense Strategy and the U.S. Intelligence Strategy,” said Tom Arseneault, president and CEO of BAE Systems, Inc. “Together we will leverage our combined capabilities to develop and deliver cutting-edge space, science and defense solutions to advance our customers’ critical missions.”

“This is an exciting time for us, and we look forward to joining one of the most respected companies in the aerospace and defense industry; a move that will only strengthen our ability to continue to provide game-changing technologies and services to our customers,” said Kaufman. “Not only does BAE Systems represent a great cultural fit for our employees, but this milestone will bring resources and support for continued growth that will enable our team to deliver our capabilities at a greater scale than ever before. As the new Space & Mission Systems sector, we’ll continue to build on our reputation as a trusted mission partner established over the last 65-plus years as Ball Aerospace.”

Ball Aerospace has a long and distinguished track record as a proven partner and pioneering innovator, with expertise in spacecraft, mission payloads, optical systems, conformal antennas, and electronically steered arrays. With trusted customer relationships among the Intelligence Community, U.S. Department of Defense and civilian space market, the Ball Aerospace team supports the delivery of a broad set of products and differentiating technologies to meet growing customer demands.

The acquisition of Ball Aerospace will provide a robust platform for accelerating the company’s space strategy in the U.S. as BAE Systems continues to deliver across its broad portfolio of franchise programs.