British Aerospace

British Aerospace (BAe) was a British defense and aviation company based in Farnborough .

history

British Aerospace was formed in 1977 through the merger of British Aircraft Corporation , Hawker Siddeley Aviation , Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and Scottish Aviation . The British state, which was initially the sole owner of the group, carried out full privatization in several stages by 1985. By the end of the 1990s, BAe sold several unprofitable subsidiaries and took over several competitors, especially in the American market. At the same time there were rumors of a merger with the German DaimlerChrysler Aerospace ( DASA ), which however did not materialize. 1997 failed a merger with the aviation group McDonnell Douglas , since this was taken over by Boeing .

In 1999 BAe finally merged with Marconi Electronic Systems to form BAE Systems . This created the largest arms company in Europe and at the same time the third largest in the world.

criticism

The delivery of BAE Hawk fighter aircraft to Indonesia from 1978 onwards led to widespread criticism, as the regime used the aircraft against the resistance in East Timor against the Indonesian occupation and in doing so often hit civilians. During an act of sabotage at British Aerospace on January 29, 1996 , three peace activists broke into the Warton manufacturing facility and destroyed a BAE Hawk that was ready for delivery. Despite the £ 2.25 million damage, the women were not punished. The court recognized the act as a measure against the "genocide" in East Timor.

In 2005, it was announced that the British aerospace and defense company British Aerospace (BAe) a total of 1.1 million pounds (1.5 million euros) in the period between December 2004 and October 2005 the former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to have paid . In return, Pinochet brokered arms deals. The money was paid in fourteen wire transfers to companies affiliated with Pinochet - Takser Investment , Cornwall Overseas Corporation, and Eastview Finance . After it became known that Pinochet had covertly invested millions of US dollars abroad, his reputation also declined in conservative circles. Tax evasion lawsuits and investigations into suspected corruption were discontinued after his death.