Noblis says McKean acquisition was driven by ubiquity of new technologies

The chief executive of Noblis said the company searched for more than two years, reviewing about 200 companies, before acquiring McKean Defense in a bid to grow its defense work.

In an interview with Inside Defense today, Amr ElSawy said science and technology company Noblis realized that cutting-edge technologies, from artificial intelligence to 5G, are "really not sector-specific anymore."

"They're very much ubiquitous across the government," he said. "All of our government clients . . . were dealing with those issues."

ElSawy noted Noblis' defense work has historically been focused on energy and environment work, such as addressing water contamination on bases or chemical spills.

But, Noblis has begun to add to its defense work, he said, taking on command, control and communications work for the Air Force as well as cybersecurity efforts for the Army.

Before the McKean acquisition, defense work made up about 10% of sales. Now, ElSawy said, it will represent 30% to 35%.

The deal will also help the company move into modernization and integration work, he added.