ITT Corporation’s acquisition and integration of EDO figures prominently at the company’s exhibit in Hall 2 Stand A8, where electronic warfare clearly is a major topic. In fact, Chris Carlson, ITT’s director of U.S. business development for electronic systems, declared that the move, completed in December last year, constituted “a merger rather than a take over.” Indeed, he noted that although the EDO elements will in the future trade as ITT Defense Electronics and Services, in working together they offer complementary capabilities to expand the business and bring technology to new markets. By combining portfolios, ITT expects to be a $6 billion defense company by year-end.
The company harbors no plans to dispense with any elements of EDO that do not fit directly with current ITT product lines. On the contrary, Andrew Dunn, ITT’s director of international business development for electronic systems, sees the purchase of EDO as “an opportunity to diversify, while continuing to grow organically.” However, he doesn’t rule out further expansion by acquisition.
