According to the Pentagon’s tally of the top dollar defense contractors for Fiscal 2005, Lockheed Martin led the way, followed by Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Raytheon as the top five. The news is that BAE Systems, the British-based defense firm, has made the top 10 list for the first time. In fact, it came in a No. 7. It was ranked at the 12 spot in 2004. For the Air Force, the top five were Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and United Technologies. BAE was No. 14.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
