An Anne Arundel County cybersecurity firm has agreed to sell itself to a Virginia defense contractor for $26.8 million, the companies announced late Monday.

Zytel Corp., which is based in the Fort Meade area and expects to produce revenues of about $20 million this year, specializes in cybersecurity for federal agencies working on intelligence, counterterrorism and cyber warfare. All its work is classified.

Global Defense Technology & Systems Inc., the McLean firm that has agreed to acquire it, provides technology-driven services to federal agencies ranging from the Department of Defense to law enforcement.

They expect the deal will close in the fourth quarter. It requires approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States because Global Defense Technology & Systems was spun off from a London-based company that remains a major shareholder.

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