NEW YORK (AP) -- French aerospace and defense manufacturer Safran Group said Wednesday it would buy Motorola Inc.'s biometrics unit, which makes fingerprint scanners.
Terms weren't disclosed.
The companies expect the acquisition to close in the first quarter next year.
Motorola, the Schaumburg, Ill., maker of communications equipment, said the sale was part of a strategy to focus on its core strengths. The company is also spinning off its struggling cell phone unit.
Jean-Paul Herteman, chief executive of Safran said, the acquisition of the biometrics unit will help the company strengthen its position in the U.S. market for homeland security.
The unit, based in Anaheim, Calif., has 300 law enforcement, civil and commercial customers in 40 countries, the companies said.
