Shoreham-based Ricardo plc (www.ricardo.com) has signed an agreement to buy the US company Control Point Corporation (CPC).

The acquisition, subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to be completed by 1 September, and CPC will become part of Detroit-based Ricardo Defense Systems (RDS).

Ricardo has a long history in the international defence sector; it is particularly focused on the design, engineering, manufacture, and through-life upgrade of land-based military vehicles for the UK armed forces, as well as those of other friendly nations.

RDS provides opportunities for collaboration with US manufacturers and government agencies on defence-related vehicle projects.

The acquisition of CPC will significantly expand the range of opportunities that RDS can pursue. New expertise available through this acquisition includes vehicle engineering capabilities, distributed software-based systems and fleet management technologies.

CPC also brings expertise in C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems, and in the integration of electronic systems targeted for combat environments.

Founded in 1995, CPC has a staff of over 90 engineers and specialists (located at offices in Michigan, California, Maryland and Alabama).

Dave Shemmans, Ricardo CEO, said: “CPC’s proven software development capability and its 20 years of electronic system integration experience are highly complementary to Ricardo’s defence vehicle engineering capabilities.

“The enlarged RDS business will be able to compete in new segments of the market.”