BAE Systems plc is a British defense, security and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is the world’s second-largest defense contractor and the largest in Europe. It was formed on 30 November 1999 by the £7.7 billion merger of two British companies, Marconi Electronic Systems (MES), the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc (GEC), and the aircraft, munitions and naval systems manufacturer British Aerospace (BAE).