Top 10 Private Equity Investors in the Aerospace and Defense Industry in the World in 2021 by Deal Volume

The Carlyle Group Inc., Arcline Investment Management LP, Arlington Capital Partners LP, Stellex Capital Management LP, and Advent International Corp are among the top 5 private equity investors in the aerospace and defense industry in 2021 by deal volume. In terms of the geographic split, 8 out of 10 of the world’s top 10 private equity investors in the aerospace and defense industry are headquartered in North America, and the remaining 2 are based in Europe. They employed a total of 3,200 people in 2021. The Carlyle Group Inc, Stellex Capital Management LP- IMIA Group Holdings, LLC deal was one of the major deals in the aerospace and defense sector in 2021. The Carlyle Group Inc. (Carlyle) is a global alternative asset management firm. The group advises specialized investment funds and other investment vehicles that invest across various industries, geographies, asset classes, and investment strategies. The Carlyle Group and Stellex Capital Management, the US-based investment affiliates, have acquired IMIA Group Holdings, LLC, a provider of multi-disciplined marine services for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) and new construction of United States Navy (USN) vessels, from J.F. Lehman & Company (JFLCO), a private equity firm. The deal was completed in Q4 2021. The AE Industrial Partners-UAV Factory deal was another major deal in the aerospace and defense sector in 2021. AE Industrial Partners is a private equity firm specializing in Aerospace, Defense & Government Services, Power Generation, and Specialty Industrial markets. AE Industrial Partners, LP (AEI), a private equity firm, has acquired UAV Factory Ltd., a manufacturer of airframes, engines, stabilized EO/IR ISR payloads, and related components in-house for the unmanned and manned aircraft industry. The deal was completed in Q1 2021. The Arlington Capital Partners-L3Harris Technologies deal was another major deal in the aerospace and defense sector in 2021. Arlington Capital Partners is a private equity firm specializing in investments in buyouts and recapitalizations in the middle market, mid-size companies, and targeted growth industries. Arlington Capital Partners, a private equity firm, has acquired Electron Devices and Narda Microwave-West divisions from L3Harris Technologies Inc, a US-based aerospace and defense technology company.