General Electric is close to an agreement to buy the aerospace division of British industrial firm Smiths Group PLC for about 2.5 billion pounds, The Wall Street Journal reported on its website.

Citing unnamed people close to the deal, the newspaper said the anticipated deal marks a shift in strategy for the British company and a return to expanding in Europe for GE.

Smiths had long avoided breaking itself up, until its recent decision to sell Smiths Aerospace, which has become a secondary supplier of aircraft components ranging from landing-gear parts to propellers, the report said.

GE for years has been interested in acquiring the division, these people said.

Smiths has been under pressure from shareholders to pare its activities, the report said.

It operates four main businesses, including a division that is one of the world's largest makers of airport detection-and-screening equipment and another unit involved in manufacturing a wide range of medical devices.