Global missile and missile system player MBDA reports it generated approximately $1.3 billion in 2011 revenue and the order book remained robust amounting to about $13.9 billion at year-end.
New orders in 2011 came to about $3.4 billion, although a major export contract expected last year was not officially awarded until this year.
Operational performance remains stable at around 10 percent, the company said.
MBDA is jointly held by BAE Systems with 37.5 percent, European Defence and Space Co. (EADS) with 37.5 percent and Finmeccanica with 25 percent.
MBDA CEO Antoine Bouvier said, “2011 was an excellent year for MBDA on an operational level, both for the programs in production and for those in development. We received very positive feedback from the military campaigns in Afghanistan, Libya and the Ivory Coast about MBDA equipment and the support provided for the armed forces. For MBDA, all of these successes go towards confirming the confidence our customers have in us when it comes to the setting up of a single European prime defense contractor.”
In 2011, MBDA’s vision, and roadmap was as a “European champion”–present in four countries France, Britain, Italy and Germany and developing in a fifth–Spain.
The latest advance in Franco-British co-operation is rooted in the recognition of the strategic nature of the missile sector and the implementation of long-term objectives shared by industry and the two governments to optimize available budgets to meet military capability requirements and strengthen industrial sovereignty capacities.
“The relevance and merit of these principles extend far beyond the Anglo-French relationship. Our aim is to promote the ‘complex weapon sector’ in each of our home countries, give renewed impetus to the launching of new European programs and that will reinforce MBDA’s status as the pioneer of the European defense industry,” Bouvier said.
MBDA’s prospects also depend on developing its strategy as a global player, Bouvier said. Activities outside Europe will move outward from creating partnerships in strategic countries, like India, UAE and Turkey, to advancing this strategy in the United States, following on from the acquisition in 2011 of Northrop Grumman’s [NOC] Viper Strike missile design development and live build manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Ala.
As the financial crisis continues to weigh on defense budgets in Europe, we are able to respond by continuing to reinforce our integration and our efficiency as the European champion. These strengths also serve to make MBDA a global player with the flexibility and the level of competitiveness to develop export and international co-operation outside Europe.”　
With more than 90 armed forces customers in the world, MBDA is a world leader in missiles and missile systems for air, land and sea forces. The company offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products in operational service, and more than 15 others now in development.