C4ISR M&A Update | November 2020

Military Readiness Against Near-Peers Drives Heightened Demand for C4ISR Industry

C4ISR Industry Update | November 2020

C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) continues to serve as primary “enabling technologies” across military air/land/sea/space platforms and the joint networks that allow for interoperability across these mission critical systems.  Many C4ISR companies were deemed essential at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and The Defense Production Act, invoked in March 2020, further buoyed the sector by authorizing federal government loans and prioritizing government orders to ensure continuity of supply.  These immediate buffers helped mitigate business loses across the Defense industry.

Deal volume has also been resilient, keeping pace with 2019 despite a slowdown in Q2 and Q3 activity.  October has been the most active month since the pandemic, with eight deals announced or closed including Parsons Corporation’s (NYSE:PSN) acquisition of Braxton Science & Technology Group ($300 million) and ANSYS’ (Nasdaq:ANSS) acquisition of Analytical Graphics ($700 million).

The report highlights C4ISR trends including:

• National Defense Strategy fueling C4ISR modernization to keep pace with near-peers
• Newly-formed U.S. Space Force driving demand for space technology
• Private equity firms becoming more acquisitive due to industry stability

To learn more, contact our industry expert Tess Oxenstierna.