BAE Bofors completes acquisition of Swedish machining firm

BAE Systems Bofors has completed its acquisition of Aston Harald Mekaniska Verkstad AB, a Swedish precision mechanics and component machining specialist.

The purchase agreement was signed in February 2026, with the transaction now finalised. Aston Harald is headquartered in Kristinehamn, Värmland, and employs approximately 100 people, serving customers across the defence, aerospace and commercial sectors.

Aston Harald has been a strategic supplier to BAE Systems Bofors for a number of years, as well as to other defence companies and commercial actors. According to BAE Systems Bofors, the acquisition aligns with its strategy to strengthen production capacity and delivery capability in the European defence market, and to enhance supply security across several of its key programmes. Those programmes include the ARCHER self-propelled howitzer, the TRIDON Mk2 mortar system, the Combat Vehicle 9040, and the naval guns 40 Mk4 and 57 Mk3.

Both companies are based within the defence industrial cluster in the Karlskoga region of Sweden, a shared geography the company says provides a foundation for more efficient collaboration and the right conditions to secure deliveries to Sweden and partner nations.

The acquisition reflects a broader trend among European defence contractors of bringing critical suppliers in-house as demand for defence equipment accelerates. With programmes such as ARCHER seeing growing international interest, particularly following its operational use by Ukraine, securing the industrial base underpinning those systems has taken on added urgency for manufacturers across the continent.

BAE Systems Bofors is part of BAE Systems’ Platforms and Services division, which covers land, sea and air defence products across multiple markets.