In conversations with investors, defense firms double down on hypersonic weapons
America’s biggest defense contractors are finding a growth market in hypersonic weaponry — missiles that could dodge air defenses by flying five times the speed of sound — as U.S. military leaders have repeatedly described deploying such weapons as a national priority.
They are hoping to profit from an international arms race in hypersonic weaponry that has drawn the United States into a Cold War-style competition with Russia and China.
With military officials hoping to transition from research and development to the more cash-intensive production work over the next several years, top U.S. defense contractors are jockeying for position. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Boeing are among the companies developing hypersonic weapons.
Much of the work is classified. But executives from several large U.S. defense contractors say they are already receiving billions of dollars in related military contract funding.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/02/conversations-with-investors-defense-firms-double-down-hypersonic-weapons/