Products/Projects
As befits a ‘truly
global’ company, BAE SYSTEMS covers a wide range of products
and projects. Few of them, however, are anything that the ordinary
consumer would ever buy. BAE products are mostly intended for the
defence procurement of nation states, and to a lesser extent, the
huge budgets of airlines such as British Airways.
BAE undertakes
both large, capital-intensive projects such as the manufacture of
the ‘Future Carrier’ (intended to replace Britain’s
current ‘Invincible’ class of aircraft carrier) and smaller-scale,
more intricate work - such as the development and manufacture of thermal
imaging and radar equipment. Undoubtedly, however, and despite the
rather beguiling ‘civilian applications’ section on their
website, the majority of their production goes directly into military
applications.
The Avionics department
of BAE deals with the more intricate and small-scale projects, covering
areas such as radar, weapon guidance systems, satellite communications
technology, thermal imaging, and electronic warfare. All of these
smaller products come into use in BAE’s own range of military
vehicles, which, as they proudly point, out cover land, sea and air.[19]
Air
BAE
manufactures a wide range of military aircraft, from the now completed
lines of Tornado and Harrier aircraft, to the infamous Hawk attack
fighter, and to the joint European project of the Eurofighter. Other
aircraft projects include the Gripen fighter (produced in collaboration
with SAAB) and the much discussed American project, the Joint Strike
Fighter. As well as having huge potential in the American market,
one of the variants of the JSF is tipped to be the British Ministry
of Defence replacement for the outdated Harrier jump jet.
Sea
On
the sea, BAE has received provisional acceptance of its bid to construct
the ‘Future Carriers’ (due to come online in 2012), and
firm acceptance of its Type 45 Anti-Air Destroyers (the first of which,
HMS Daring, will be operational in 2007). It also has a virtual monopoly
on the British ship-building industry.
Ground
In
ground warfare BAE has less of a presence, concentrating its capital
intensive projects where they can benefit its manufacturing concerns
(i.e. its shipyards). It is working on several projects for land based
military application, however, including the Lancer recon vehicle,
the description of which provides a prime example of BAE’s corporate-speak.
As they so eloquently put it; ‘the LANCER solution delivers a
high degree of data capture, fusion, interpretation and communication
with other assets including UAV’s inside the digitised battlespace’.[20]
In other words, the Lancer project utilises BAE’s high technology
engineering innovations to more effectively guide tanks to where they
can kill people.
Civilian
Projects
BAE
does have some civilian projects, almost all of which are concerned
with avionics. Its Avro RJ jet is no longer manufactured but is still
in use by over 60 airlines. These include British Airways and Lufthansa.
Its replacement, the Avro RJX, is likely to be similarly popular.
BAE is also involved in the Airbus Industrie consortium with European
partners, largely in manufacturing the wings for Airbus jets. Airbus
is one of only two manufacturers in the market for commercial aircraft
seating more than 100 passengers. Airbus captures around 50% of all
commercial airline orders. Airbus is owned by BAE SYSTEMS and EADS
(European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company), holding 20% and 80%
respectively.[21] However, it is rumoured that BAE may well exercise
its prerogative to pull out of this project in 2004 in favour of more
military projects.[22] After all, the civilian aircraft business is
facing a depression at the time of writing, whereas the military sector
certainly is not.
