In 1999, which British defence electronics company merged with British Aerospace to form BAE Systems?

In 1999, Marconi Electronic Systems merged with British Aerospace to form BAE Systems.

Marconi Electronic Systems was the defence business of the British engineering conglomerate General Electric Company, usually known as GEC. Its roots reached back to the Marconi Company, founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897, and it developed major expertise in radar, naval electronics, military communications and systems integration. GEC renamed its defence operation Marconi Electronic Systems in 1996.

British Aerospace announced the deal in January 1999 and completed the £7.7 billion purchase on 30 November. The combination joined British Aerospace's aircraft, aerospace and platform-building capabilities with Marconi's defence-electronics expertise. The new company was named BAE Systems, now one of the world's largest defence contractors.

A common mix-up is confusing Marconi Electronic Systems with Marconi Communications. The latter was the telecommunications arm left with the renamed GEC, which became Marconi plc; it was not the business that formed BAE Systems.