Textron to form flight-simulation unit with two new acquisitions

PROVIDENCE – Textron Inc. – parent of Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Co. and Textron Systems – will acquire flight-simulation and aircraft-training product companies Mechtronix Inc. and Opinicus Corp., the company announced Friday.

Mechtronix and Opinicus – combined with Textron Systems’ existing training and simulation business, which serves the military-aircraft market from its facilities in Goose Creek, S.C. – will form Textron Simulation & Training Systems.

Total annual revenue for the new business, which will operate as an entirely new unit of the company’s Textron Systems division, is expected to exceed $100 million, according to a news release announcing the acquisitions.

“Mechtronix and Opinicus each have a strong record of delivering advanced flight-simulation technologies and services,” said Scott Donnelly, chairman and CEO of Textron. “Today’s pilots face an ever-expanding range of systems and controls within the cockpit, making realistic simulation essential for commercial and military flight training. By adding these businesses, we deepen Textron’s ability to fully serve the military, business and civil aviation industries.”

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Both transactions are expected to close by the end of the year, subject to customary closing conditions, Textron said.

Mechtronix’s primary products include the FFSX and FFTX lines of high-fidelity simulators and the FFT and Ascent lines of flight trainers, as well as classroom training solutions. Founded in 1987, Mechtronix serves the global aviation market from its headquarters in Montreal and has supplied airlines with more than 200 simulator systems.

Opinicus, based in Lutz, Fla., is known for its Odyssey high-fidelity simulators. Since 1988, Opinicus has provided turnkey simulator programs to aviation industry leaders including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Bell Helicopter, GE Aerospace, the FAA and several branches of the U.S. military.

Following the acquisitions, Mechtronix and Opinicus will adopt the Textron Simulation & Training Systems brand, but there are no plans currently to relocate staff from the companies’ respective headquarters, according to Textron spokesman David Sylvestre.

The company will announce who will lead the new Textron Simulation business unit in the near future, Sylvestre said.

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