Serious question: Is it remotely possible for Lockheed Martin to start making passenger jets? They’ve won every 5th gen fighter and bomber contract over Boeing.
Bit embarrassing isn't it, that a joint venture between two of the US's (and world's) largest aeronautics and defence companies doesn't have their own engines – and has to rely on the Russians?
The government forced them to form ULA after Boeing was found to have thousands of pages of Lockheed proprietary info. Boeing had been stripped of a $1B launch award and was barred from bidding pending the investigation.
Rather than have Boeing endure the criminal and civil liability a joint venture with advantageous terms to Lockheed was decided on.
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