Finmeccanica, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Saab are collaborating across sectors to tackle global energy and environmental challenges.

Challenges being addressed include sustainable infrastructures, clean energy, environment, climate, transport, logistics, humanitarian and disaster relief, as well as other architectural and structural issues.

Next month, the challenges will be discussed at the E3DS conference in London.

"Our intention is to use our conference as a platform to invite governments, other industries and academia to tap into this rich resource to develop ‘cross-sector’ solutions to complex global challenges."

In a joint statement, the companies said with several years’ experience, the aerospace, defence, and security sectors were well-positioned to take up the initiatives that enable them to support the government and other industry sectors in addressing security-related, environmental, technological, or economic issues.

The companies noted that a group effort would enable them to address challenges associated with climate change and sustainable infrastructures.

Dynamixx chief executive Nick Cook said much of the science and technology used by Aerospace companies in developing defence and security solutions, understanding of climate and weather through the spacecraft, aircraft, ships, submarines, vehicles, and sensors, could help provide solutions for issues such as climate, weather, energy, environment, natural disaster and resource scarcity.

"Our intention is to use our conference as a platform to invite governments, other industries and academia to tap into this rich resource to develop ‘cross-sector’ solutions to complex global challenges," Cook said.

The goal of this joint initiative is to address issues that have been too large to be tackled by any one government, sector or business to take on voluntarily.

All the five companies together have significant resources and more than 340,000 employees available to help tackle worldwide issues.