Defence manufacturer BAE Systems has tabled a £531 million bid to acquire technology consultancy Detica, in a move designed to boost its security business.

Detica's specific areas of expertise are in risk management, fraud reduction, compliance and resilience, and much of its income comes from government contracts.

BAE, which is Europe's largest defence contractor, offered Detica 440 pence for each share and hopes the proposed acquisition will help it expand its presence in the US Homeland Security market.

“This acquisition will combine Detica’s well established customer relationships and technical capabilities together with our system integration capabilities," said Ian King, chief operating officer for BAE, in a statement. "This will result in a depth of financial and technical capability to address growth opportunities and better serve customers."