Thu, 12 Mar 2026 | BUSINESS SALE
Helicopter maker Leonardo has agreed a deal to acquire a UK-based cybersecurity company as it looks to strengthen its role in the cybersecurity sector. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Leonardo UK Limited, the firm has entered into a binding agreement to acquire Becrypt.
The acquisition will immediately strengthen Leonardo’s presence in the UK and Five Eyes cyber defences domain. The deal also complements a strong, existing collaboration between Leonardo, the UK government and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
Becrypt Limited was founded in 1996 and is based in London. The company, which employs around 100 staff, develops technology designed to protect data, including up to Top Secret classification.
In the year to March 31 2025, the company reported turnover of £11.8 million, up from £9 million a year earlier, while operating profit increased from approximately £400,000 to around £427,000.
Roberto Cingolani, Chief Executive and General Manager of Leonardo, said that the deal “marks another step forward in Leonardo's strategy to build resilient and sovereign cybersecurity in Europe that overcomes current technological fragmentation.”
He continued: “It also testifies to our long-term commitment to the UK, a core home market which plays an important role in strengthening our international footprint.”
Cingolani also said that, through the Zero Trust capabilities Leonardo has acquired, it is rapidly developing its research in the cyber domain, saying this is “essential for protecting our nations' sensitive data and critical infrastructures which face rapidly evolving threats.”
He added: “This is why cybersecurity sits at the heart of Leonardo's industrial strategy, playing a key role as an enabler for the development of our multi-domain solutions.”
Bernard Parsons, Chief Executive of Becrypt, said: "Being part of Leonardo provides Becrypt with the global reach and scale necessary to deploy our technology across a wider field. This will accelerate the development of our secure platforms, ensuring that the critical sectors we serve have access to the most advanced tools required to maintain information superiority and digital security."
The closing of Leonardo’s acquisition of Becrypt is subject to regulatory approvals, expected to be delivered within Q2 2026.
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