Atlas Elektronik is a naval/marine electronics and systems business based in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

, Germany. It is involved in the development of integrated sonar systems for

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s and heavyweight torpedoes. The company was a subsidiary of

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...

until December 2005, when it was sold to ThyssenKrupp and

EADS Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

.
Atlas Elektronik became a wholly owned subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in 2017.

History

Early history

The company was founded in 1902 as ''Norddeutsche Maschinen- und Armaturenfabrik GmbH'', focusing on shipbuilding and naval engineering services. Its name was changed in 1911 to ''Atlas Werke AG'', the origin of its modern-day name. During the First World War, Atlas Werke built U-boats for the Imperial German Navy. After the war, the company shrank in size and began to focus on civilian technology, due to restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Following the

Nazi seizure of power Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

, the company grew to become an arms supplier for the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

. Atlas manufactured torpedoes, minesweepers and Enigma machines, among other things.

After 1945

After the end of the Second World War, Atlas was rebuilt. The shipbuilding division and other business areas were sold off, shifting the focus solely to marine and defence electronics. Starting in the 1960s, the company switched ownership several times, including several years spent as subsidiary of Friedrich Krupp AG (after 1965) and Bremer Vulkan (1991). In 1992, Atlas merged with ''STN Systemtechnik Nord'', a large defence electronics supplier, into STN Atlas Elektronik GmbH. Five years later, in 1997, STN Atlas was taken over by

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Its shares are traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange. History Rheinmetall was founded in 1889. Banker and investor Lorenz Zuckermandel L ...

(51%) and

(49%). In 2003 STN Altas was split; Rheinmetall acquired the land systems business (Rheinmetall Defence Electronics) and BAE took control of the naval business, keeping the name Atlas Elektronik.

Sale to ThyssenKrupp

BAE Systems announced it intended to sell the company in 2005. The main bidders were ThyssenKrupp/

, Thales Group and L-3 Communications. On December 30 the joint ThyssenKrupp/EADS bid, valued at €145 million (£100m), was named the winner with the companies holding 51% and 49% respectively. The bid was complicated by the requirement of the German government to approve any sale as acceptable. The Financial Times described the sale as "cut price" because the French company Thales bid €300 million, but was blocked from purchasing Atlas on national security grounds.

Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the ...

announcement sale its remaining shares in Atlas Elektronik to ThyssenKrupp on 12 January 2017. The merge of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Atlas Elektronik was completed on 3 April 2017.

Products

* Submarine systems * Surface combatant systems * Mine warfare systems, e.g. SeaFox ROV for mine disposal * Anti-submarine warfare systems * Maritime security systems * Unmanned vehicles * Naval weapons, e.g.

Atlas Elektronik SUT An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

and DM2A4 (SeaHake mod 4) heavyweight torpedoes * Marine communication systems * Customer services

Subsidiaries

Hagenuk Marinekommunikation
(Germany)
Atlas Elektronik India

Atlas Elektronik Finland

Atlas Elektronik Canada

Atlas Elektronik UK

Atlas Maridan (Demark)

Atlas North America

Anec Korea (South Korea)

Sonartech Atlas (Australia)

Atlas UAE
The group also includes the associated subsidiarie
Cybicom Atlas Defence
(South Africa) an
Advanced Lithium Systems
(Greece)

References

External links

ATLAS Elektronik GmbH Company Homepage
{{Authority control Companies based in Bremen Defence companies of Germany History of Bremen (city) Manufacturing companies based in Bremen (state)