Janes was founded in 1898 by
Fred T. Jane, who had begun sketching ships as a naval artist while living in
Portsmouth. This culminated in the publication of
Janes Fighting Ships (1898). Janes gradually branched out into other areas of military expertise. The books and
trade magazines published by the company have become the
de facto source of public information on warfare and transportation systems. Based in
Greater London for most of its existence, the company was owned by the
Thomson Corporation,
the Woodbridge Company, and then
IHS Markit, before being acquired by
Montagu Private Equity in 2019. In March 2022, Janes acquired
Washington, D.C.-based RWR Advisory Group. ==Description==