Cobham Acquires Full Ownership of Helicopter Services Joint Venture

Cobham plc announces that it has completed the acquisition of the 50% shareholding that it did not already own in FB Heliservices Ltd, FB Leasing Limited and FBS Limited (together ‘FBH’), from its long standing joint venture partner, Bristow Helicopters Limited (‘Bristow’). The transaction comprises cash consideration of £74 million payable on completion, together with the assumption of Bristow’s share of FBH’s net debt.

Highlights:

• Strengthens Cobham’s presence in an attractive market

• Highly complementary to Cobham’s existing Aviation Services business, enabling the Group to build on existing capabilities and offer customers the convenience of a transport solution that includes a combination of helicopters and fixed wing aircraft

• Further strengthens Cobham’s exposure to non US defence/security markets with the potential to expand its customer base in government related and other growth markets over time

• Expected to be immediately earnings enhancing and will cover the cost of capital in the first year of ownership

Commenting on the acquisition, Cobham chief executive officer, Bob Murphy says, “FBH is a business we know extremely well through our long established joint venture arrangement and it has capabilities that are highly complementary to our existing Aviation Services business. It also brings a long track record of operating in attractive, specialist outsourcing markets with demonstrable success in winning contracts across the globe.”

“We also offer our thanks to Bristow at the conclusion of this joint venture partnership, as FBH has successfully served to benefit all its stakeholders, including the UK Ministry of Defense and its other customers globally.”

FBH specializes in defense helicopter training in the UK and elsewhere, including a contract with the Ministry of Defense to train helicopter crews for all branches of the armed forces, as well as the provision of search and rescue, logistics and emergency medical services for government clients globally. Its capabilities are complementary to Cobham’s existing Aviation Services business, which provides services to the fixed wing aircraft market, allowing Cobham to offer a broader service to a wider customer base.