BAeSEMA was a naval technology joint venture between
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...
and the French
Sema Group
Sema Group plc was an Anglo-French IT services company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It was acquired by Schlumberger in 2001.
History
The Company was founded in 1988 by the merger of t ...
. The company was formed in 1991 and dissolved in November 1998 when BAe purchased SEMA's 50% share.
BAeSEMA acquired Dowty-Sema in 1992, another naval systems joint venture between Dowty Group and Sema.
Capabilities
* Naval combat management systems
**
Type 23 frigate
The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...
– command and control system
**
ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN – t ...
– command and control system
* Warship prime contracting
**
ocean survey vessel – (building subcontracted to
Appledore Shipbuilders
Appledore Shipbuilders is a shipbuilder in Appledore, North Devon, England.
History
The Appledore Yard was founded in 1855 on the estuary of the River Torridge. The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond ...
)
* Communications
* IT
History
From BAe's perspective BAeSEMA was an attempt to increase its capabilities as a naval prime contractor. This was not entirely successful for two reasons:
*A customer was more likely to choose a prime contractor with shipbuilding experience and capabilities.
*Another shipbuilder was unwilling to team with the company because as prime contractor BAeSEMA would effectively control that shipbuilder.
BAeSEMA's major competitor in the UK naval systems market was
GEC-Marconi through its
Ferranti Naval Systems and
Plessey Naval Systems businesses.
On November 11, 1998, BAe acquired Sema's interest in the company for £77 million and merged it into
British Aerospace Defence Ltd. BAe's naval capabilities increased dramatically in the next year, its acquisition of
Marconi Electronic Systems
Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), or GEC-Marconi as it was until 1998, was the defence arm of General Electric Company (GEC). It was demerged from GEC and bought by British Aerospace (BAe) on 30 November 1999 to form BAE Systems. GEC then renam ...
to form
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. ...
saw it take control of Marconi Marine's shipyards;
VSEL (Barrow-in-Furness),
Govan
Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...
(Glasgow) and
YSL (Scotstoun).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baesema
BAE Systems joint ventures
Defunct software companies of the United Kingdom
Defunct technology companies of the United Kingdom