Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne faces limbo after FTC files suit

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit to block Lockheed Martin’s $4.4 billion acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne, saying that the deal would “give Lockheed the ability to cut off other defense contractors from the critical components they need to build competing missiles.” In this week’s filing, the FTC says Lockheed has already sought unsuccessfully to keep Aerojet from providing critical propulsion technologies to Lockheed’s rivals. In response, Lockheed Martin notes that it “could elect to defend the lawsuit or terminate the merger agreement.” Aerojet’s facility in Redmond, Wash., plays a lead role in building in-space propulsion systems.