Talk:Hensoldt

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Changes suggested by the company Hensoldt[edit]

Request edit[edit]

Dear Editor, as you can see, I'm proposing a complete rework of the article as the current edition is badly researched, incomplete and grammatically questionable. As I'm working for the company itself I'm using this edit request template in order to avoid a COI issue. I've tried to reach consensus on these changes before requesting the edit, but noboday has engaged in the discussion. I have even personally messaged accounts previously involved in this page, but that also did not prompt any disscusions. I hope that the edits can be made nevertheless - If it helps. The same article is published in the German Wikipedia in which multiple Wikipedians have workd on the article and reached consensus on this content. I have than translated that article into English, updated it a little (e.g. signing Kelvin Hughes) and included more references in English.--Stefanie at Hensoldt (talk) 13:45, 1 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Edit suggested

Dear all, my name is Stefanie and I work at Hensoldt. I've been monitoring this English wiki entry for some time now and there has been hardly any activity. The problem is that the current article is rather poor, especially regarding the quality of information and grammar/ spelling. I would therefore like to suggest an update and provide in the following more information. In order to avoid any conflict of interest issues, I will state all my suggestions here on the talk page and hope for a productive discussion. After consensus on the changes is reached I would have these changes via an "edit request" ingetrated on the main page. Thanks in advance for your contribtuion.Stefanie at Hensoldt (talk) 11:05, 16 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Extended content

Article

Hensoldt is a multinational corporation headquartered in Germany which focuses on sensor technologies for protection and surveillance missions in the defence, security and aerospace sectors. The main product areas are radar, optoelectronics, electronic warfare and avionics. Hensoldt’s registered head office is in Taufkirchen near Munich, Germany. Other sites are located in several cities in Germany including Ulm, Oberkochen, Wetzlar, Immenstaad, Pforzheim and Kiel as well as Irene and Pretoria in South Africa and Enfield, a borough of London in the United Kingdom.

Approximately 3,400 of the roughly 4,100 members of staff are employed in Germany and some 700 at the sites of the subsidiaries in South Africa and the UK. Apart from this, the company has sales centres in 17 countries. The managing directors of Hensoldt Holding GmbH are Thomas Müller (CEO), Peter Fieser (CHRO) and Axel Salzmann (CFO).[1]

History Foundation The company originated from the electronics business unit of the defence division of the Airbus Group. At the end of February 2017, Airbus sold this business unit to the US financial investor KKR.[2][3][4] Since then, the newly founded company has been active under the brand name of Hensoldt. The company has its roots in predecessors such as AEG, DASA, Dornier, Telefunken, Siemens Sicherungstechnik, Zeiss, Cassidian and Airbus.[1]


The company’s name “Hensoldt” can be traced back to Moritz Carl Hensoldt (1821-1903), a German pioneer of optics and precision mechanics in the 19th century. In 1852, he founded an optical workshop for telescopes, astronomical equipment and microscopes in his own name, thus creating one of the major optical enterprises in Wetzlar. [5][6] After Hensoldt’s death, Carl Zeiss acquired Hensoldt AG in the year 1928. From this company developed later Carl Zeiss Sports Optics – offering optical products for leisure and for hunting pursuits – and Carl Zeiss Optronics Wetzlar, which is now again part of Hensoldt.

Corporate Structure The Hensoldt Group’s holding structure includes the following direct and indirect operating subsidiaries (as of November 2017):

  • Hensoldt Sensors GmbH, Taufkirchen, Germany[7]
  • Hensoldt Optronics GmbH, Oberkochen, Germany[7]
  • Hensoldt Optronics (Pty) Ltd., Irene, South Africa
  • GEW Technologies (Pty) Ltd., Pretoria, South Africa
  • EuroAvionics Holding GmbH, Pforzheim, Germany[8]
  • Kelvin Hughes Ltd., Enfield, United Kingdom[9][10]


The shares of Hensoldt Holding GmbH are held by KKR (74.9%) and Airbus (25.1%). The Federal Republic of Germany holds a minimum share.

Product Areas Radar Hensoldt develops and manufactures radar systems for the purposes of surveillance, reconnaissance, air traffic control and air defence. These radars are used on such platforms as the Eurofighter, the German Navy’s F125 frigates or the US Navy’s littoral combat ships as well as in ground-based systems. Moreover, the company has set up the air traffic control network of the German Air Force covering an airspace of 1,700 x 1,500 kilometres; it is equipping the German Armed Forces’ airports with the ASR-S airport surveillance radar[11] and is supplying a complete approach control system for the military airfields in Switzerland. Further air traffic control radars by Hensoldt are under contract for Great Britain, Australia and Canada.[12] What’s more, in April 2017 Hensoldt was commissioned to modernise the radar infrastructure of the German air traffic control organisation Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH.[13] In September 2017, Hensoldt acquired the British security radar manufacturer Kelvin Hughes from the private equity firm ECI[9]. Kelvin Hughes is specialized in radar sensors mainly for maritime and security applications. Among their products is the SharpEye solid state high performance pulse Doppler radar family as well as the CxEye Command and Control software that allows the integration of multiple radar and camera sensors into a comprehensive display package.

The products concerned are:

Optronics Hensoldt manufactures optical and optronic devices for military and civil security applications. The main components of these devices are daylight cameras, thermal imagers, image intensifiers and laser rangefinders. The systems are used on various platforms for air, ground, sea and space missions as well as for the protection of infrastructures and borderlands.[14] For example, the optronic systems are used on board the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, the Leopard main battle tank, the 212 and 209 type submarines[15], the Gripen and Rafale combat aircraft, the AHRLAC reconnaissance aircraft, the Baykar TB2 UAV, the Camcopter, the Diamond DA42 as well as the EDRS-A satellite. In addition, Hensoldt also manufactures sights, targeting optics and optical systems for small arms up to heavy weapon systems. These systems are deployed in the Leopard 2 main battle tank, the PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer, the NH90 and Tiger transport and combat helicopters as well as in the “Future Soldier” programme for modernising the infantry of the “Bundeswehr”, the German Armed Forces.[16]

The products concerned include:

  • EOTS, BAA, Spectus, PERI R17, PERI RTWL, ARGOS, Goshawk, the SERO and OMS product families, MEOS, the ZO 4x30 optical sight, the RSA-S reflex sight, IRV 600 and IRV 900

Avionics Hensoldt offers military and civil avionics systems. In the military sector, the products offered by the company include situational awareness systems, military mission computers and flight data recorders for helicopters and fighter aircraft. The main system offered is the Sferion pilot assistance system which allows for safe flight operations in a degraded vision environment.[17] A varied range of platforms are equipped with Hensoldt avionics products, e.g. the Eurofighter and Tornado combat aircraft, the A400M transport aircraft or helicopters of different types such as NH90 and Tiger. In August 2017, Hensoldt acquired the German based company EuroAvionics GmbH, a supplier of civil avionics systems for helicopters and UAVs.[8] They are particularly strong in the market for civilly certified avionics equipment for helicopters with interfaces to avionics and sensor systems supplied by third-party providers. Their portfolio includes flight management systems as well as avionics computers and autopilot systems, especially for UAVs.

The products concerned include:

  • Sferion product family, EuroNav7, EasyTask

Electronic Warfare The company’s electronic warfare portfolio includes systems for acquiring and analysing radar and radio signals as well as jammers which, for example, protect convoys or individual vehicles from attacks in the form of improvised explosive devices (IED).[18]Hensoldt is one of the major suppliers of electronic self-defence systems protecting fixed and rotary winged aircraft from missile attacks. Furthermore, the company developed MUSS, an operational electronic self-protection system fur armoured vehicles, which is integrated into the German Armed Forces’ Puma infantry fighting vehicle.[19][20]

The products concerned include:

  • Electronic warfare sensors and systems; ALTAS-2QB, EuroDASS Praetorian, MILDS, MUSS

References

References

  1. ^ a b Hensoldt. "Our Company". Hensoldt Holding GmbH. Retrieved 2017-09-18. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |day=, |month=, and |deadurl= (help)
  2. ^ "Airbus Group To Sell Defence Electronics To KKR for € 1.1bn" (Press release). Airbus Group. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  3. ^ "New European defence company HENSOLDT launched" (Press release). Hensoldt. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  4. ^ Staff, Reuters (28 February 2017). "Airbus completes divestment of Defense Electronics unit to KKR". www.reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  5. ^ Porezag, Karsten (2001). Hensoldt. Geschichte eines optischen Werkes in Wetzlar. Band 1: Familien- und Gründungsgeschichte bis 1903 (in German). Wetzlar: Karsten Porezag.
  6. ^ Leinhos, Roland (1969). "Hensoldt, Moritz" in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 8 (in German). p. 565.
  7. ^ a b "New Defence Champion HENSOLDT to be given Holding Structure" (Press release). Hensoldt. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  8. ^ a b Anderson, Guy (17 August 2017). "Hensoldt completes EuroAvionics deal". www.janes.com. Jane's 360. Retrieved 16 November 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  9. ^ a b "Kelvin Hughes is aquired by Hensoldt" (Press release). Kelvin Hughes. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  10. ^ MacDonald, Andrew (29 September 2017). "Hensoldt completes Kelvin Hughes acquisition". www.janes.com. Jane's 360. Retrieved 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  11. ^ "Airbus DS EBS delivers High-Performance Radar to the German Armed Forces" (Press release). Hensoldt. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Hensoldt to equip RCAF's military airfields with new radar systems". www.airforce-technology.com. Air Force Technology. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  13. ^ "HENSOLDT to equip DFS with state-of-the-art Radar Technology" (Press release). Hensoldt. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  14. ^ Tomkins, Richard (26 February 2015). "ME country orders surveillance gear for its borders". www.upi.com. UPI. Retrieved 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  15. ^ "Optronic Technologies and Products". www.naval-technology.com. Kable Intelligence Limited. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Hensoldt to supply optical units to Germany". www.shephardmedia.com. Shephard Media. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  17. ^ "Airbus evaluates Sferion helicopter pilot assistance system". www.army-technology.com. Army Technology. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  18. ^ Martin, Guy (9 November 2017). "Feature: Cyber and electronic warfare an increasing global challenge". www.defenceweb.co.za. Defence Web. Retrieved 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  19. ^ "Multifunction Self Protection System (MUSS)". www.defense-update.com. Defense Update. 15 August 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  20. ^ ""Puma" self-protection equipment on track" (Press release). Hensoldt. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.

First reply[edit]

The majority of the sources are press releases. While this would not necessarily be a barrier to adding the information, additional third party sources ought to be included if possible. For instance, the information regarding locations and dates of company milestones, as well as employee counts (Number of employees), is all perfectly basic information that is acceptable coming from the company itself. When it comes to the descriptions of company products or services, that is when third party sources become invaluable, as they allow the article to speak about these things without the suspicion or concern over whether the products/services are being described accurately, in an impartial and neutral manner. Spintendo ᔦᔭ 20:53, 16 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

@Spintendo: Thank you for your feedback. I have added more references now, focusing on independent news sources as far as I could locate them. Because the company was independently founded only last year it is as of yet still challenging to find a lot of independent news sources talking about the broader range of products. Mostly news are focusing on specific press releases. Nevertheless I hope this is what you were looking for. If so I would appreciate if very much if you could add the changes to the main page. Best regards Stefanie at Hensoldt (talk) 16:30, 12 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Second reply / Substantive rewrite 16-JAN-2018[edit]

The article has undergone a substantive revision.

  • This rewrite contains elements from the article's German Wikipedia version
  • Includes minor updating to references
  • Includes additions suggested here on the talk page by the COI editor
  • Includes excisions made by myself as reviewing editor, done for brevity and to remove promotional tone.

If any part of this revision has been found to be incorrect, please advise here on the talk page as soon as possible, so that it may be corrected.
Regards, Spintendo ᔦᔭ 12:50, 16 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

@Spintendo: Thank you for revising the article and putting it online. I’m also totally ok with you making changes to the article, but there is an error in the content now. You merged the section about radar and electronic warfare, but these two technologies are very different. They use both radiofrequency, but work in a different way and the technologies are implemented in different products. Therefore, I would ask you to revise that specific change so that the information is correct. Best regards, --Stefanie at Hensoldt (talk) 10:22, 17 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for your reply. I have changed the heading to specify that it covers not only radar, but other non-related technologies involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum — technology most associated with the term "electronic warfare" (EW). My understanding is that developments in the field of one area (EW) would not have been possible without the advancements in the other area (radar). I have a feeling that I'm about to be schooled in this area if i am incorrect, but I would welcome having the infomation. Please advise. Spintendo ᔦᔭ 15:15, 17 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]
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