Cobham, a privately owned company headquartered in the UK, was founded in 1934. With approximately 1,390 employees, the company historically focused on the production of components and systems for the defense and space sectors. Following its acquisition in 2020, many of Cobham's established business units were sold off to various other companies. Currently, a primary activity under the Cobham name is C16 Ventures, its venture capital arm, which focuses on investments in early-stage companies within the aerospace, defense, space, and technology industries.
The buyout giant behind Cobham and Ultra Electronics called on June 13, 2026, for John Healey’s resignation to trigger a change in how Whitehall interacts with the private sector, suggesting this could save billions in UK defense spending. This followed Ultra Electronics, a British defense company also owned by the same buyout giant, agreeing on May 1, 2026, to pay £15 million after a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) bribery investigation. Ultra Electronics accepted responsibility for failing to prevent bribery as part of a deferred prosecution agreement approved by the High Court, following an investigation opened in 2018 when the company referred itself to the UK law enforcement agency.
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