Bristow to acquire Berry Aviation
The purchase is expected to facilitate Bristow’s shift towards government services, and support its existing operations in fields such as search and rescue
Bristow Group has announced plans to acquire fellow special missions operator Berry Aviation from Acorn Capital Management for US$105 million.
The acquisition, which is subject to price adjustments and an all-cash transaction, will be used by Bristow to differentiate its capabilities and strengthen its relationships with US government and defense customers.
Headquartered in San Marcos, in the US state of Texas, Berry Aviation operates a fleet of over 20 aircraft.
The company provides aviation services such as “special missions, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, training and mission support, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) design and development capabilities”.
Bristow stated that Berry Aviation’s capabilities would also be able to supplement its existing SAR operations, as well as facilitate Bristow’s optimization of procurement and maintenance functions.
“The acquisition of Berry Aviation, an established special mission aviation services provider, further aligns Bristow’s portfolio with key megatrends: increasing geopolitical risk, rising defense spending, and the continued outsourcing of mission-critical aviation services,” said Chris Bradshaw, President and CEO of Bristow. “Berry Aviation’s deep expertise, proven technical capabilities across a range of mission-critical operations, and strong customer relationships are complementary to our existing government services operations, better positioning Bristow to compete for long-duration government programs.”
Investment firm Ridgewood Infrastructure recently announced its purchase of US-based aerial firefighting firm Dauntless Air.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.