Former Airbus UK chief tapped for senior role at Cobham

PARIS (Reuters) - Former Airbus UK President Paul Kahn is set to be appointed to a top sector position at Cobham Plc , helping Chief Executive David Lockwood lead a turnaround of the struggling British defence supplier, two industry sources said. Neither Kahn, who also heads Britain's ADS defence industry lobby, nor the UK company could immediately be reached for comment. Kahn stepped down as head of Airbus UK in July as part of a corporate shake-up. His new appointment is likely to deepen Cobham's focus on defence and aerospace as the group prepares to sell wireless businesses to help overcome a series of profit warnings following a tough 2016. He held posts at French defence company Thales in Canada, France and Italy before joining Airbus in 2014. Cobham, best known for its air-to-air refuelling technology, was forced to carry out two rights issues in the past 18 months to shore up its balance sheet. Lockwood, who took over in December, has said Cobham broadly met expectations in the first half, but has work to do in the aerospace and defence sector. (Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Dan Grebler)