AEROSPACE and engineering group Cobham has unveiled a £50 million spending spree after seeing trading in the last year hit expectations.

The largest of three deals has seen Wimborne-based Cobham buy Land Platform Communi-cations (LPC) - a supplier of digital intercom systems for military vehicles - for £30 million.

LPC, which is based in Blackburn, employs more than 100 people and generated revenues in excess of £25 million for BAE Systems in 2002.

The operation, which was established in the 1950s and generates more than half of its turnover in the US, will become part of Cobham's Chelton group of businesses and trade as Chelton Defence Communications.

The agreement with BAE Systems, which viewed LPC as a non-core operation, is one of several recent deals at Cobham.

Cobham has also acquired a Swedish manufacturer of protective coverings for nose antennae on fighter planes for up to £2.9 million and reached agreement to buy a German maker of oxygen components Drager Aerospace for 28.4 million euros (£18.5 million).

The German firm has worked closely for some time with Cobham's subsidiary Carleton Technologies, based in Buffalo, New York, and the partnership has already won contracts to supply oxygen systems for Airbus.

Other orders secured by Cobham in recent weeks also include a deal with Boeing to provide fuel pumps and housings for future aircraft.

Cobham has been further buoyed by trading in 2002, which it said had been in line with hopes after a stronger showing in the second half.

"The group remains confident that its position as a leading supplier to the global aerospace and defence industries will yield opportunities for further growth in the future," said a spokesman.

Services provided by the group include flight refuelling systems, surveillance technology and communications equipment.

The company unveiled record half-year results four months ago after seeing strong military demand offset weakness in commercial-based work after September 11.