Cobham (Hampshire, England), the UK aerospace and defense components group, is considering the sale of its Westwind air bearing unit.

Cobham currently employs 750 across its entire operation, manufacturing components for military and civilian aircraft. The company's fueling systems, for example, are on every version of the proposed Joint Strike Fighter. Westwind is Cobham's only non-aviation business unit, and the company has been under pressure to divest it.

Westwind (Dorset and Poole, England), is a world leader in state-of-the-art air bearing spindle systems, primarily for the electronics industry. It also has operations in Massachusetts and Tokyo, Japan.

Cobham's Gordon Page said last week that Westwind, "is not something we are going to give away," but also, "not something I would die in the ditch for."