A&D Weekly - January 15, 2024

Industry Headline News

Following the Alaska Airlines emergency landing, Boeing faces repercussions from its outsourcing strategy, as concerns over quality and engineering issues have come to light

Jan. 13, 2024 - The outsourcing of components, a practice adopted in the 2000s, has led to various quality problems in Boeing jets, including misdrilled holes and loose bolts. The recent door-plug blowout on a MAX9 plane has prompted federal investigations, grounding about 170 MAX planes, and increased oversight of Boeing's manufacturing by the Federal Aviation Administration. (WSI)

RTX is considering legal action against the Italian government for blocking the sale of its subsidiary Collins Aerospace's Microtecnica to French firm Safran

Jan. 12, 2024 - Italy invoked its Golden Power legislation to prevent the sale, citing concerns the geopolitical environment and potential risks to the Italian military's access to critical components. RTX and Safran plan to challenge the veto in court. (Defense News)

Airbus reported record annual jet orders of 2,319 gross and 2,094 net order in 2023

Jan. 11, 2024 - Surpassing Boeing in deliveries for the fifth consecutive year with 735 airplanes delivered. Airbus is sold out for single-aisle jets until the end of the decade and for widebodies until 2028, while Boeing, still recovering from past issues, delivered 528 aircraft in 2023 with 1,314 net new orders. (Reuters)

Over 400 investors has formed the AUKUS Defense Investor Network to enhance collaboration in national security innovation among Australia, the U.S., and the U.K.
Jan. 10, 2024 - Representing about $265 billion in venture capital, the AUKUS Defense Investor Network aims to facilitate communication between investors and defense officials. The network will address policy concerns and promote discussions between private investors and the military to drive venture funding towards critical capabilities. (Defense News)

Boeing's fixed-price development contract from the U.S. Air Force's KC-46 tanker has resulted in $7 billion in cost overruns, far exceeding the initial contract value of $4.9 billion.

Jan. 9, 2024 - The program faced delays, production errors, and a faulty vision system. This experience is considered a "cautionary tale," prompting both the Pentagon and contractor to reevaluate the risks associated with fixed-price contracts, with some experts suggesting that cost-plus contracts might be more suitable for complex development programs. (Defense News)

Airbus is close to securing a substantial widebody jet order from Delta Air Lines, including additional A350-1000 aircraft, according to industry sources.

Jan. 8, 2024 - While Delta ordered 100 Boeing 737 MAX 10 jets in 2022, it has predominantly been an Airbus customer, and U.S. airlines are increasingly investing in high-margin revenue opportunities in the region amid rising costs and fleet renewal considerations. (Yahoo! Finance)

Rocket Lab was awarded a $515 million contract by the Space Development Agency to build 18 data transport satellites

Jan. 8, 2024 - This marks Rocket Lab's first prime satellite development contract, and the company will produce the subsystems in-house at its Long Beach, California, manufacturing complex. The satellites, designed to offer encrypted connectivity and communication for military users globally, are expected to be launched in 2027. (Defense News)

Weekly Transaction Review

No.	Parties Involved	Transaction Metrics			Location	Segment
	Target [Parent] Acquirer [Parent]	Price ($M)	Price/ Revenue	Price/ EBITDA	Target	Target
1	Vistair Systems [Liberty Hall Capital Partners, LP] Comply365	-	-	-	Gloucestershire, England	Government Services, IT Services and Software
2	Cyberspace Solutions LLC [RLH Equity Partners] Crimson Phoenix [Godspeed Capital Management LP]	-	-	-	Reston, VA	Government Services, IT Services and Software
3	INVECAS Inc. Cadence Design Systems, Inc.	-	-	-	Santa Clara, CA	Defense Electronics
4	Thompson Software Solutions, LLC Lynx Software Technologies, Inc. [OceanSound Partners, LP]	-	-	-	Atlanta, GA	Government Services, IT Services and Software
5	Zavda Technologies, LLC Applied Insight, LLC [The Acacia Group]	-	-	-	Baltimore, MD	Government Services, IT Services and Software
6	Juniper Networks, Inc. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company	$13,980.6	2.5x	16.1x	Sunnyvale, CA	Government Services, IT Services and Software
7	Jeumont Electric [Altawest SAS] Naval Group; Frameatome	-	-	-	Jeumont, France	Navy/Maritime
8	SNC Manufacturing Co., Inc. Allient Inc.	-	-	-	Oshkosh, WI	Defense Electronics

No.	Target Descriptions
1	Vistair is a provider of Operational Data Management for private sector and international government defense and aviation technical publications, safety, and regulatory content markets. The company's DocuNet platform is an aviation Document Management solution to digitize, simplify and structure data in a single distribution platform.
2	Cyberspace Solutions provides intelligence analysis, language support, solutions development and enterprise IT to private sector and U.S. federal government defense, intelligence, and special operations markets. This company specializes in AI, machine learning software development, digitally enabled intelligence solutions, and data analysis.
3	Invecas is a provider of turnkey ASIC custom silicon production, embedded software, and system-level solutions to private sector and U.S. federal government defense, IoT, medical, and semiconductor markets. The company provides full turnkey NPI and Production management for their ASIC products.
4	TSS is a provider of software development, engineering, and integration solutions to private sector and U.S. federal government mission-critical aerospace and defense markets. The company's expertise spans military and commercial fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, commercial space flight, hypersonic platforms, and command- and control systems.
5	Zavda is a provider of IT management solutions to the private sector and U.S. federal government. The company's expertise encompasses business administration, cloud computing, cyber analysis, database administration, web design, network security, systems administration, network management, R&D, language analysis, acquisitions and procurements, and systems engineering.
6	Juniper is a developer of AI-enabled secure and assured communications networks for private sector and U.S. federal government service providers, enterprises, and research and education institutions. The company's purpose-built, high performance IP platforms enable customers to support many different services and applications at scale.
7	Jeumont Electric develops and manufactures auxiliary equipment, electric machines, and command and control devices for private sector and international government nuclear energy and naval defense markets. The company also provides complete system audit and analysis as well as repair, maintenance, and overhaul services on components and complete machine platforms.
8	SNC is a designer and manufacturer of electrical transformers, utility products, and information and communication products for private sector and U.S. federal government defense, industrial automation, and alternative power generation and energy markets.