Honeywell to acquire COM DEV International

COM DEV International, Cambridge ON, is being acquired by Morris Plains NJ-based Honeywell International for $455 million. COM DEV — which is splitting off its exactEarth data services subsidiary into a standalone public company — will report to Honeywell's space systems division when the transaction is completed in January. COM DEV says Honeywell has committed to keeping the company in the Cambridge and Waterloo region. More than 80% of the world's communications satellite carry COM DEV hardware subsystems and the firm has a strong order book with more than 60 payloads under development for future deployment. The pioneering high-tech firm was founded in 1974 and quickly became a global leader in satellite communications technology, under the leadership of Dr Val O'Donovan. Earlier this year, COM DEV acquired Garden Grove CA-based Pacific Wave Systems, a developer of waveguides for the satellite industry for US $20 million. In 2014, COM DEV spent $9.2 million on R&D, down 7.1% from $9.9 million in 2013. Over the years, COM DEV and its exactEarth subsidiary have received million in public support. Unlike the blocked sale of the space assets of MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd to a US firm (R$, March 27/08), the federal government is not expected to oppose the sale….