Aircraft

DRS Technologies to open new UK facility as part of foreign sales drive

US defence technology specialist DRS Technologies is to open a new UK facility as part of its drive to increase the proportion of its business from overseas markets.

The company plans to use DRS UK, formerly known as DRS Tactical Systems, as a “springboard” for other European markets, says president and chief executive Mark Newman.

The move “aligns the company with the UK’s new defence industrial strategy”, DRS says, adding that it will be able to provide support for the technology it supplies to UK customers. “This will provide a mechanism where we can selectively create the intellectual property required by the UK government to ensure sovereign control over their programmes.” The company currently generates around 8% of its $2.9 billion annual revenues from overseas markets and plans to grow this to one-fifth of revenues within the next five years.

Meanwhile, in the USA, DRS is aiming its deployable flight incident recorders at the commercial airliner market. “There has been some interest from the FAA [ Federal Aviation Administration],” says Newman, “but no airframer has applied to get it certified.”

Newman does not rule out inclusion of the technology, which is on board Boeing F/A-18 and AguataWestland EH101 aircraft, on commercial aircraft programmes as early as the Boeing 787. “I don’t think the 787 is too soon…we’re starting to see the airline insurance industry start to put pressure on airlines for safety issues…it’s about getting manufacturers and airlines attuned to this equipment.”