Britain is "closely monitoring" the takeover of UK defence technology firm Ultra Electronics by US-owned Cobham amid security concerns, the government said Tuesday.

Ultra last week agreed to a 2.6-billion pound ($3.6-billion, 3.0-billion-euro) takeover from Cobham, the former London-listed defence giant now owned by Advent.

US private equity group Advent has pledged to protect sensitive government information and keep Cobham's headquarters in Britain.

"While this is a commercial matter for the companies involved, we are closely monitoring the transaction," a government spokeswoman told AFP Tuesday.

Advent had agreed to buy Cobham in 2019 in a 4.0-billion pound deal approved by the UK government after a national security probe. That transaction completed early last year.

Cobham is known for pioneering technology enabling the mid-air refuelling of planes, while it also makes electronic warfare systems and communications for military vehicles.

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Poland to buy 250 US Abrams tanks
Warsaw (AFP) July 14, 2021
Poland on Wednesday announced the purchase of 250 of the latest upgraded version of the Abrams tank from the United States. "Our army will be enriched by a large number of Abrams tanks which are the most advanced in the world," Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who also heads up the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, told reporters. "If all goes well, deliveries will begin next year," he said. The eastern NATO member's defence ministry said the order was for 250 M1A2 SEP ... read more