HEICO Corporation has acquired a majority stake in Cook Defence Systems

June 2026 — William Cook Holdings Limited has received a major investment in Cook Defence Systems from HEICO Corporation, a US-listed aerospace and defense company. The newly formed company, HEICO Cook Defence Limited, will be owned 80% by HEICO and 20% by William Cook Holdings.

Cook Defence Systems is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of track systems for armored fighting vehicles. The company supplies mission-critical mobility solutions to national ministries of defense and leading global defense original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), supporting both new vehicle production and aftermarket sustainment programs. Its products are deployed across a broad range of in-service military platforms and have been selected for numerous next-generation armored vehicle programs operated by NATO and allied nations.

HEICO is a leading provider of mission-critical products and services for the aviation, defense, space, medical, telecommunications and electronics industries. Through its flight support group and electronic technologies group, HEICO designs, manufactures, and distributes highly engineered components, subsystems and aftermarket solutions for commercial and military customers worldwide. The company serves many of the world’s largest airlines, defense contractors, military organizations and industrial equipment manufacturers.

William Cook companies design, manufacture and overhaul components and systems for applications where safety and reliability are critical.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins Cavendish, one of Oaklins’ member firms in the UK, acted as the advisor to the shareholders of William Cook Holdings Limited on the major investment in Cook Defence Systems by HEICO Corporation.