London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

UK approves £4bn US takeover of defence company Cobham

The government has approved a US private equity firm's takeover of UK defence and aerospace company Cobham.

Advent International made a £4bn offer to buy Cobham in July, but it was delayed when the government intervened over national security concerns.

The government announced its approval of the deal late on Friday night - which the firm's founding family said was "timed to avoid scrutiny".

PM Boris Johnson said the UK remained a "dynamic" part of the defence industry.

Cobham, which employs 10,000 people, has extensive contracts with the British military and is seen as a world leader in air-to-air refuelling technology.

The firm, based in Wimborne, Dorset, also makes electronic warfare systems and communications for military vehicles.

Its expertise played a significant role in the Falklands War, allowing the Royal Air Force to attack the remote Port Stanley airfield.

Defence experts said its role in air-to-air refuelling was essential for modern warfare and could raise national security issues if the company was sold.

Shareholders approved Advent's offer in August, but a month later the government intervened in the takeover, citing national security concerns.

In a statement on Friday, Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom said she was satisfied the risks that had been identified had been mitigated "to an acceptable level" - and allowed the deal to go ahead.

Mrs Leadsom said the decision had been "meticulously thought over" and came after she took advice from the defence secretary and the deputy national security adviser.

The business secretary added sensitive government information would continued to be protected under the new owner and existing contracts would be honoured.

The company is also obliged to give the government prior notice of any plans to sell the whole, or elements of, Cobham's business.


'Deeply concerning'

Lady Nadine Cobham - part of the family which set up the UK firm - called the decision "deeply disappointing" and criticised the timing of the decision.

She said it was "cynically timed to avoid scrutiny on the weekend before Christmas", adding: "In one of its first major economic decisions, the government is not taking back control so much as handing it away.

"In Cobham we stand to lose yet another great British defence manufacturer to foreign ownership."

Sir Ed Davey, acting leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the announcement was "deeply concerning" and said "we have yet to see evidence" that concerns over national security had been mitigated.

"If Boris Johnson's government are happy to sell off a leading UK defence and aerospace company to Trump's America, how can we expect his government to protect our defence and manufacturing sectors, not to mention every other sector of our economy, as they negotiate trade deals after Brexit?" he added.

When asked if he was comfortable with the takeover, the prime minister said: "I think it's very important that we should have an open and dynamic market economy."

Mr Johnson added: "A lot of checks have been gone through to make sure that in that particular case, all the security issues that might be raised can be satisfied and the UK will continue to be a very, very creative and dynamic contributor to that section of industry and all others."

Shonnel Malani, a partner at Advent, said the company took the takeover "seriously".

"We are confident the transaction and undertakings being given on national security, jobs and future investment, provide important long-term assurances for both Cobham's employees and customers, particularly in the UK and also globally," Mr Malani added.


Cobham's history

Cobham plc is a group of defence and technology businesses which started out as a family firm founded by Sir Alan Cobham.

Sir Alan became a flying instructor in 1918 after volunteering to join the Royal Air Force during World War One.

He received a knighthood from King George V in 1926 for his pioneering work in aviation.

Sir Alan became a household name after devising Cobham's Flying Circus in the early 1930s. The aeronautical acrobatics show toured England and South Africa.

He then went on to focus on air-to-air refuelling and formed Flight Refuelling Limited in 1934, which developed into Cobham plc as it is known today.

Aside from aviation, Cobham's innovations include lightweight tanks, radar technology for maritime defence and spacecraft technology.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
×