GE Aviation Systems (formerly Smiths Aerospace) is an American

aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

aircraft engine An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Aircraft using power components are referred to as powered flight. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbin ...

and aircraft parts manufacturer. Smiths Aerospace was formerly one of four business units of Smiths Group plc., an engineering company and constituent of the

FTSE 100 The Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index, also called the FTSE 100 Index, FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the "Footsie" , is the United Kingdom's best-known stock market index of the 100 most market capitalisation, highly capitalised ...

share index. However, it was announced on January 15, 2007 that Smiths Group was divesting Smiths Aerospace to General Electric for US $4.8 billion.Smiths To Sell Aerospace Ops To GE For $4.8B
" McGrath, S.; Stone, R. ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

''. January 15, 2007. Smiths Aerospace, which was an important supplier, became an operating subsidiary of

GE Aviation General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, is an American aircraft engine supplier that is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. It is the legal successor to the original General Electric Company founded in 1892, wh ...

. This acquisition reportedly gives the combined unit the clout to resist pricing pressures from its two largest customers,

Boeing Commercial Airplanes Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) is a division of the Boeing Company. It designs, assembles, markets, and sells commercial aircraft, including the 737, 767, 777, and 787, along with freighter and business jet variants of most. The divis ...

and

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

. Analysts further assert that it will enable General Electric to acquire assets similar to those it desired in its failed bid for

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...

in 2000. GE Aviation completed the transaction on May 4, 2007.GE Aviation Completes Acquisition of Smiths Aerospace
." Smiths Aerospace press release. May 4, 2007.

Products

* Its electronic and mechanical systems businesses include integrated modular avionics, flight management and stores management systems, recording and analyzing of voice, video and data. Crew information and mission planning. Other products include power generation and distribution, fuel gauging, management and aerial refueling systems and environmental conditioning. Systems essential to aircraft performance includes flight controls, thrust reversers, landing gear and hydraulic systems. * The engine component capabilities include engine ring technology, supplying complex gas turbine engine components to every major engine program worldwide. * The company also operates a global customer services organization that supports 1,500 customers in 140 countries through a network of local centers. The company is involved with

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

's KC-767Boeing Unveils Air Force Tanker In $40 Billion Contract Competition
." Borak, D.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. February 12, 2007. and

F/A-18E/F Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are a series of American supersonic twinjet, twin-engine, Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft derived from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Ho ...

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

F-35 Lightning II The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, supersonic Stealth aircraft, stealth strike fighters. A multirole combat aircraft designed for both Air superiority fighter, air superiority and att ...

, F-22 Raptor, and C-130J Hercules, and the Eurofighter Typhoon. Smiths engine components equip many major military and civil gas turbine engines, providing critical technologies from intake to exhaust.

History

Smiths Aerospace was initially formed from the takeover of

TI Group TI Group plc (formerly "Tube Investments") was a holding company for specialised engineering companies. It was based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire and was listed on the London Stock Exchange, at one point being a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. ...

's aerospace activities, including firms such as Dowty Rotol. In 2000, they acquired the former electronics and avionics division of Fairchild Defense from Orbital Sciences corporation.http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=2710 Orbital Sciences press release. September 27, 2000.

References

{{Smiths Group Avionics companies Manufacturing companies based in Cincinnati Aerospace companies of the United States Engineering companies of the United States General Electric subsidiaries 2007 mergers and acquisitions 1963 establishments in Ohio