Hensoldt

Hensoldt is a German multinational company that supplies electrical engineering devices and systems, software and related services for global markets of aerospace, defence and security.

On 16 September 2014, Airbus Defence and Space announced that in order to reinforce Airbus Defence and Space as a sustainable and successful mainstay of Airbus, Airbus Defence and Space would be divestment non-core activities and sold some of its subsidiaries and participations after the detailed and comprehensive portfolio assessment of Airbus Group. According to Reuters report, several international defence giants and a number of private equity groups interested in a defence electronics business of Airbus Group.

On 17 March 2016, Airbus Group said would sell Airbus Defence and Space's Airbus DS Electronics and Border Security GmbH subsidiary (Airbus EBS) to American-based private equity firm KKR & Co. L.P. (KKR) as result of the group reached agreement worth approximately 1.1 billion euro with KKR. After the closing of the transaction between Airbus Group and KKR, the new European defence electronics company Hensoldt based on former Airbus EBS, launched on 28 February 2017. The name from famous inventor and German optics pioneer Moritz Carl Hensoldt. Then Airbus announced completes divestment of its Defence Electronics business on 1 March 2017, but Airbus will maintain a 25.1% minority stake for a limited number of years post-closing until the full separation of related sites.

On 15 March 2017, Hensoldt announced it would become holding company with two pillars, which headed by a new management team. The two pillars are HENSOLDT Sensors GmbH and HENSOLDT Optronics GmbH, respectively.