Advertisement

Lockheed Martin buys helicopter maker Sikorsky

Don't look now, but Lockheed Martin just became an even larger aerospace powerhouse. The aircraft maker has acquired helicopter maker Sikorsky (best known for the UH-60 Blackhawk) for $9 billion. The two have already been partners on programs like the MH-60, but this gives Lockheed its very own rotary-wing team. If a customer wants something that flies, the company will have it covered. The buyout is poised to close by late 2015 or early 2016, provided everything goes smoothly.

The union might come at a stiff price, however. Lockheed says it's conducting a "strategic review" of both its information systems group and a chunk of its missile division -- tough times in the market have led Lockheed to believe that these segments would be better-off either spun out or sold to someone else. That puts the future of more than 17,000 workers in doubt, and that's not including whatever jobs might be cut when the Sikorsky deal wraps up.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee]