Powered by MOMENTUM MEDIA
spaceconnect logo
close

KBR to acquire Centauri, expanding military space, defence modernisation portfolio

Stephen Kuper
KBR to acquire Centauri, expanding military space, defence modernisation portfolio

KBR has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Arlington Capital Partners, under which KBR will acquire a leading independent provider of high-end space, directed energy and other advanced technology solutions for approximately US$800 million (net of tax benefits) in cash.

Centauri is a technology-driven company that provides high-end engineering and development solutions for critical, well-funded, national security missions associated with space, intelligence, cyber and emerging technologies, such as directed energy and missile defence.

Centauri has achieved significant growth over the last four years, becoming a leading pure-play space and intelligence solutions provider and benefiting from its highly cleared and technical workforce, space domain awareness and a customer-focused footprint of classified operations.

As a company, Centauri also has a substantial and growing pipeline of opportunities in Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community programs that benefit from bipartisan support. Headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, with 22 offices across the US, Centauri has more than 1,750 employees, a majority of which have special access clearances and half of whom have advanced degrees.

==
==

Stuart Bradie, KBR president and chief executive, said, “KBR has undergone a deliberate, strategic transformation to be a provider of innovative, higher-end, digitally enabled solutions and technologies in attractive, stable domains.” 

The Centauri acquisition will be transformative for KBR. With Centauri, KBR significantly expands its military space and intelligence businesses and builds on its already strong cyber security and missile defence solutions.

The companies possess complementary and established customer relationships supported by recurring contracts serving some of the US government’s most important, challenging and complex missions. KBR expects to benefit from a more balanced and more differentiated portfolio that is resilient across business cycles, poised for continued growth in attractive, high-priority domains.

“The acquisition of Centauri firmly aligns with our strategy of increasing KBR’s highly technical, mission-focused, synergistic capabilities and enduring customer relationships. We are excited to welcome and work closely with the Centauri team as we continually drive growth and value-creation for our shareholders and other stakeholders,” Bradie added. 

PROMOTED CONTENT

The transaction builds on KBR’s previous strategic acquisitions and successful integrations of Wyle, Honeywell Technology Solutions and Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, and creates a combined platform with extensive expertise in civil, military, intelligence and commercial space solutions.

David Wodlinger, a partner at Arlington Capital, said, “Centauri was purpose-built to solve the most complicated space and directed energy challenges faced by our country, a strategy that will only be enhanced by KBR’s scale, strong management team and shared focus on quality and culture.”

Dave Dzaran, chief executive of Centauri, reinforced these comments, saying, “Centauri and KBR share strong employee-focused, mission-first cultures and complementary platforms, making this an ideal combination. As part of KBR, our innovation and initiative will enhance our combined company’s ability to develop systems and provide solutions in space, intelligence and cyber. KBR’s global foundation of safety and sustainability will help us drive continuous growth and keep our nation safe.”

KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and solutions across the asset and program life cycle within the government services and technology sectors. KBR employs approximately 28,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries.

Centauri is a high-end engineering, intelligence, cyber security and advanced technology solutions company headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia, with 22 offices nationwide.

Receive the latest developments and updates on Australia’s space industry direct to your inbox. Subscribe today to Space Connect here.

Receive the latest developments and updates on Australia’s space industry direct to your inbox. Subscribe today to Space Connect.