# Lockheed Martin The world's largest defense contractor by revenue (~$75 billion in 2025) and the single most consequential corporate beneficiary of American military spending. Formed by the 1995 merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta, the company operates across fighter aircraft, missile defense, space systems, and classified programs. Its product catalog reads like a roster of American hard power: the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor, C-130 Hercules, Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles, THAAD and PAC-3 missile defense systems, and the Orion spacecraft. Record backlog of $179 billion as of late 2025 — more than two and a half years of revenue locked in. ## Founding & Merger History The 1995 merger was a direct product of the post-Cold War "peace dividend" contraction. In July 1993, Secretary of Defense Les Aspin and Deputy Secretary William Perry convened what became known as the "Last Supper" — a meeting where Pentagon leaders told defense industry CEOs that the industry would shrink and they needed to consolidate. Norman Augustine, then CEO of Martin Marietta, took the message seriously. The $10 billion merger with Lockheed Corporation created the world's largest defense contractor. **Lockheed Corporation** lineage traced back to the Loughead brothers' Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company (1912), reorganized as the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Burbank, California (1926). Built the Vega monoplane (flown by Amelia Earhart), the P-38 Lightning, the U-2, the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the F-22 Raptor. Operated the legendary Skunk Works advanced development division. **Martin Marietta** formed in 1961 from the merger of the Glenn L. Martin Company (military aircraft since WWI) and American-Marietta Corporation (construction materials). Built Titan rockets, managed Sandia National Laboratories, and produced the Space Shuttle External Tank and Viking Mars landers. ## Major Programs **F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter** — The most expensive weapons program in history (~$1.7 trillion lifetime cost). Designed as a multi-role stealth fighter for the [[Air Force]] (F-35A), Marine Corps (F-35B STOVL), and Navy (F-35C). Aeronautics — the segment built around the F-35 — accounts for roughly two-thirds of segment revenue. Lockheed delivered a record 191 F-35s in 2025. The program has been plagued by cost overruns, maintenance issues, and software delays — a 2025 GAO report concluded the F-35 "will never live up to its ambitious promises" after nearly 25 years of development. **Missile Defense** — THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense), PAC-3 MSE (Patriot Advanced Capability), Aegis ballistic missile defense. Delivered a record 620 PAC-3 MSE interceptors in 2025. These systems anchor the U.S. and allied missile defense architecture. **Space Systems** — Orion spacecraft (NASA's deep-space crew vehicle), GPS III satellites, SBIRS (Space-Based Infrared System) missile warning satellites, classified National Reconnaissance Office payloads. **Trident II D5** — Submarine-launched ballistic missile forming one leg of the U.S. nuclear triad. Deployed on Ohio-class and UK Vanguard-class submarines. **Classified/Skunk Works** — Advanced development programs including next-generation aerospace platforms. Historically responsible for the U-2, SR-71, F-117, and F-22. ## Lobbying & Political Influence Lockheed Martin is one of the most prolific lobbying operations in Washington: **Spending:** $15.7 million on federal lobbying in 2025, consistently among the top defense-sector spenders. Deployed 16+ in-house lobbyists including former [[House Armed Services Committee]] and [[Senate Intelligence Committee]] staffers. **PAC contributions:** The Lockheed Martin PAC is one of the largest corporate PACs, contributing to both [[Republican Party]] and Democratic members of the Armed Services, Appropriations, and Intelligence committees — the committees that control defense spending. **[[Revolving Door]]:** Lockheed exemplifies the defense-sector revolving door. A 2018 POGO (Project on Government Oversight) report documented dozens of former senior Pentagon, congressional, and intelligence officials cycling into Lockheed lobbying or board positions. Former Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson served on [[Donald Trump]]'s economic advisory council. The company's government relations operation is staffed largely by former Hill staffers and Pentagon officials. **Congressional geography:** Lockheed strategically distributes its supply chain and manufacturing across as many congressional districts as possible — the F-35 program alone involves suppliers in 45+ states — ensuring that cuts to Lockheed programs threaten jobs in nearly every member of Congress's district. This is not accidental; it is an engineered political defense. ## Defense Tech Ecosystem Position Lockheed Martin sits at the apex of the traditional defense contracting pyramid — the prime contractor model that the [[Defense Tech Ecosystem]]'s new entrants ([[Anduril]], [[Palantir]], [[Scale AI]], [[SpaceX]]) are both disrupting and integrating with. The company has responded to the software-defined warfare shift by acquiring AI and autonomy firms, partnering with Silicon Valley companies, and investing in its own AI/ML capabilities — but its core business model remains hardware-centric, long-cycle, and cost-plus. ## See Also - [[Defense Tech Ecosystem]] — Full ecosystem map - [[General Dynamics]] — Fellow "Big Five" defense prime - [[Anduril]] — New-generation competitor/complement - [[Palantir]] — Software layer increasingly integrated with Lockheed platforms - [[SpaceX]] — Competitor in space launch - [[In-Q-Tel]] — CIA venture arm; invests in technologies Lockheed integrates - [[Revolving Door]] - [[Donald Trump]] — Hewson served on economic advisory council - [[Dark Money]]