BAE Systems Avionics was the

avionics Avionics (a portmanteau of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the Electronics, electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, Air navigation, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the ...

unit of

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

until 2005, at which time it was transferred to SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems S.p.A. (initially 75% Finmeccanica and 25% BAE Systems, but since March 2007 fully owned by Finmeccanica). Selex S&AS became SELEX Galileo in 2008 and from January 2013 (following a merger with other Finmeccanica companies SELEX Sistemi Integrati and Selex Elsag) traded as Selex ES. It then merged into Leonardo S.p.A.'s land and naval defence electronics division on 1 January 2016. The business had its UK headquarters in

Basildon Basildon ( ) is a town in Borough of Basildon, the borough of the same name, in the county of Essex, England. It had a recorded population of 115,955 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. In 1931, the town had a population of 1,159. ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

History

BAE Systems Avionics has a rich heritage which dates back to 1909 when the Elliott and Marconi companies began to fit aircraft with systems (beginning with embryonic air to ground communications). By 1913 Elliot's avionics product lines advanced to

gyroscope A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining Orientation (geometry), orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in ...

s, weapon sights and

altimeter An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth under water. Ty ...

Timeline

*1804 - William Elliott establishes a company manufacturing scientific and surveying instruments. *1853 - Company renamed Elliott Brothers. *1897 -

Guglielmo Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi ( ; ; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based Wireless telegraphy, wireless tel ...

founds his company. *1909 - Elliott Brothers and Marconi companies both begin to fit avionics to early aircraft. *1946 - Marconi is acquired by

English Electric The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, made munitions, armaments and aeroplanes. It initially specialised in industrial el ...

. *1967 - English Electric and Elliott Automation merge. *1968 - The new English Electric group is acquired by GEC. *1969 - GEC renames avionics business Marconi-Elliott Avionics Systems Limited, part of the company's defence arm, GEC-Marconi. *1978 - Renamed Marconi Avionics Limited. *1984 - Renamed GEC Avionics Limited. *1990 - Take-over of

Ferranti Ferranti International PLC or simply Ferranti was a UK-based electrical engineering and equipment firm that operated for over a century, from 1885 until its bankruptcy in 1993. At its peak, Ferranti was a significant player in power grid system ...

creating GEC Ferranti *1998 - Renamed Marconi Avionics, part of the renamed defence arm,

Marconi Electronic Systems Marconi Electronic Systems Limited (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 ...

(MES). *1999 - MES merged with

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft manufacturer, aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. ...

to form BAE Systems. Avionics business becomes BAE Systems Avionics. *2005 - Parts of BAE Systems Avionics merged with Galileo Avionica to form SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems. *2008 - SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems is re-branded SELEX Galileo. *2013 - SELEX Galileo merged with SELEX Sistemi Integrati and Selex Elsag to form Selex ES. *2016 - Selex ES activities became part of Leonardo’s land and naval defence electronics division

References

{{Reflist

Sources

''The Changing World of Avionics''
G.M. Barling. GEC Review, Vol. 6 1990
Elliott early history
Aircraft component manufacturers of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1969 Avionics companies BAE Systems subsidiaries and divisions Borough of Basildon Companies based in Essex Defence companies of the United Kingdom Defunct companies of the United Kingdom Electronics companies of the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies established in 1969 Science and technology in Essex 2005 mergers and acquisitions