Leonardo DRS last Thursday said it has acquired Ascendant Engineering Solutions (AES), giving it a new product line and capabilities in small multi-sensor gimbals for government, law enforcement and other applications.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
AES, a small company based in Austin, Texas, designs, develops and manufactures stabilized three- and five-inch gimbal systems for Group 1, 2 and 3 unmanned aircraft systems used by the U.S. military services. Leonardo DRS said that AES “is focused on gimbal payload opportunities in strategic U.S. government programs including those intended to counter current and next-generation anti-access and aerial-denial systems.”
The acquisition will allow Leonardo DRS to integrate its electro-optical and infrared sensors and components on the AES gimbals “to offer integrated solutions that can address the fast-growing market for lightweight military platforms including small UAS,” the company said.
“The compelling need for smaller and more lightweight sensing systems is one of the most critical priorities of defense forces around the world,” Jerry Hathaway, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Electro-Optic and Infrared Systems business, said in a statement. “Leonardo DRS is well-positioned to address this fast-growing small gimbal market with the new lightweight capabilities that AED brings across a wide range of military platforms, from aircraft to maritime to ground vehicles as well as ground-based security platforms.”
Leonardo DRS is a U.S.-based subsidiary of Italy’s Leonardo.