Boeing, Lockheed Martin Launch Venture Clears European Regulators

Boeing, Lockheed Martin Launch Venture Clears European Regulators
Defense Daily 08/10/05

The European Commission (EC) yesterday gave its approval to a proposed joint venture between Boeing [BA] and Lockheed Martin [LMT] that would provide launch services for the U.S. government.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission must still rule on the proposed creation of the United Launch Alliance (ULA), which would be in charge of management, engineering, production, testing and launch operations of Boeing's Delta and Lockheed Martin's Atlas rocket families for U.S. government customers.

The two companies announced their joint venture plans in May as a way to reduce their respective costs and simultaneously save the government money for launch services (Defense Daily, May 3). Terms of the arrangement would also dismiss lawsuits the companies have filed against each other related to several Boeing employees obtaining sensitive and proprietary data of Lockheed Martin's Atlas V rocket at the time the Air Force was considering either Atlas or or Boeing's Delta IV for a next generation launch vehicle.