The company was formed on 30 November 1999 by the £7.7 billion merger of two British companies: Marconi Electronic Systems (MES) – the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc (GEC) – and British Aerospace (BAe) – an aircraft, munitions and naval systems manufacturer.
A compañía formouse o 30 de novembro de 1999 pola fusión de dúas empresas británicas: Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), a subsidiaria de General Electric Company plc (GEC) dedicada á electrónica de defensa e á construción naval, e British Aerospace (BAe), un fabricante de avións, munición e sistemas navais.