Founded in 1969, Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) is a major intelligence, military, aerospace, engineering and systems contractor. It is involved in defense/military (DoD), intelligence community, and homeland security contracting, as well as selected commercial markets.
Boeing describes itself as "the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft. Boeing designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and advanced information and communication systems. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing operates the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Boeing has customers in more than 90 countries around the world and is one of the largest U.S.
Finmeccanica is determined to become one of the world’s leading aerospace and weapons producers. The company, publicly traded but controlled by the Italian government, has spent the past decade forming a complicated web of alliances with Europe’s other players in this field, and now it has its sights set on the huge U.S. military market. It already got a foothold when one of its helicopters was chosen to become the new Marine One used by the U.S. President.
Formerly known as British Aerospace, BAE Systems has grown into one of the world’s largest aviation and weapons companies, with major operations not only in the United Kingdom but also in Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and the United States, where it is now one of the Pentagon’s largest contractors. BAE is one of the top producers of armored combat vehicles such as the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (widely used by the U.S. military in Iraq), but the company also produces fighter planes, missiles, nuclear submarines, military electronics and other tools of war.
Lockheed Martin’s slogan is “we never forget who we’re working for.” That’s not difficult, given that the company receives some 84 percent of its revenue from the U.S. government, mostly the Pentagon. It is the largest federal contractor and the largest weapons producer in the world. It trails Boeing, United Technologies and EADS in total revenues, but those companies, unlike Lockheed Martin, have substantial revenue from civilian products.
Embraer, the Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A., is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate. The company produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft, as well as providing related aerospace services. From 1999 to 2001 it was Brazil's largest exporter and is one of the three main exporters in Brazil. Among all aircraft manufacturers, it currently has the third largest yearly delivery of commercial aircraft (behind Boeing and Airbus) and the fourth largest workforce (behind Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier).
Until recently, the European Aerospace, Defense and Space Company (EADS) was known mainly as the parent of the multinational aircraft company Airbus. When the U.S. Air Force announced in February 2008 that it would give a massive contract for new refueling tanker planes to a joint venture of Northrop Grumman and EADS, the European connection helped spark an uproar over the award, which many thought should have gone to the incumbent supplier, Boeing, which has made perennial complaints about the subsidies given to EADS and Airbus by European governments.
