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The consolidation within Europe's missile industry began in 1996 when half of the missile business of [[Matra#Matra Hautes Technologies|Matra Hautes Technologies]] (the [[Matra]] conglomerate's aerospace, defence and telecommunications division) merged with the missile activities of [[BAe Dynamics]] (itself a division of [[British Aerospace]]) to form the 50/50 joint venture Matra BAe Dynamics (MBD). Three years later, the other half of Matra Hautes Technologies's missile business (Matra Missiles) and [[Aérospatiale]]'s missile systems division were consolidated to form Aérospatiale Matra Missiles (AMM) following the merger between Aérospatiale and Matra Hautes Technologies in 1999. As a result of these developments, the new French corporation, Aérospatiale-Matra, not only had AAM as its wholly-owned missile division but also now held Matra's 50% stake in MBD. In 2000, Aérospatiale-Matra merged with Germany's [[DASA]] and Spain's [[CASA (aircraft manufacturer)|CASA]] to form the European Aeronautic Defence and Space or EADS (now rebranded Airbus); the latter thus gained ownership of all of Aérospatiale-Matra's assets, including its stakes in joint ventures; which is how Airbus came to be one of MBDA's three parent companies.<ref>{{Cite web|title=European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company {{!}} European consortium|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/European-Aeronautic-Defence-and-Space-Company|access-date=2021-06-07|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
In 1998, ''GEC-Marconi Radar and Defence Systems'' (a subsidiary of [[GEC-Marconi]]) and {{ill|Alenia Difesa|it}} (a subsidiary of Finmeccanica) combined their missile and [[radar]] activities to form the 50/50 joint venture ''Alenia Marconi Systems'' (AMS). In 1999, British Aerospace purchased and merged with GEC-Marconi to form BAE Systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://moneyweek.com/417068/30-november-1999-bae-systems-formed-in-7-7bn-merger |title=30 November 1999: BAE Systems formed in £7.7bn merger |last=Judge |first=Ben |date=30 November 2015 |website=moneyweek.com |publisher=Dennis Publishing Ltd |access-date=2020-05-10 |quote=<!--On this day in 1999 British Aerospace merged with Marconi Electronic Systems to form BAE Systems, Europe's biggest defence company and the third biggest in the world.-->}}</ref> Thus the newly-formed BAE Systems gained ownership of both BAe Dynamics' 50% stake in Matra BAe Dynamics and GEC-Marconi Radar and Defence Systems' 50% stake in Alenia Marconi Systems; while Alenia Difesa's 50% stake in the latter remained under the ownership of Finmeccanica, which would later be rebranded Leonardo.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}
In December 2001, ''AAM'', ''MBD'' and the missile systems activities of ''AMS'' merged, thus founding ''MBDA''.<ref>{{cite news|title=EADS, BAE and Finmeccanica Complete MBDA Merger|work=Defense Daily International |date=2001-12-21 }}</ref> In March 2006, [[MBDA Deutschland GmbH|LFK-Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH (LFK)]], the German missile subsidiary of ''EADS'', was acquired by MBDA. And on 9 May 2012, it was rebranded [[MBDA Deutschland GmbH]]. Together with its subsidiaries [[TDW]] and Bayern-Chemie, it forms ''MBDA Germany''. Since February 2002, MBDA has owned 40% of [[Inmize]] Sistemas S.L., a Spanish company that was formed to integrate the experience and technology of the major Spanish defence companies in the guided weapons sector. An office was opened in the country in 2010 to manage its local activities. As AMS had R&D assets located in California, MBDA also possess facilities in the United States, choosing to operate in the country via a wholly-owned subsidiary called MBDA Inc.<ref name="mbdainc" /> In December 2011, MBDA Inc acquired the [[GBU-44/B Viper Strike|Viper Strike]] activity of [[Northrop Grumman]] in [[Huntsville, Alabama]].<ref>{{Cite press release | url=https://www.mbda-systems.com/press-releases/mbda-purchases-northrop-grummans-viper-strike-munitions/ |date=12 December 2011 |title = MBDA purchases Northrop Grumman's Viper Strike munitions business}}</ref>
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