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Textron
The defense industry has become the backbone of what's left of manufacturing in the Northeast. But don't take my word for it, just look out the window of your car as you drive from D.C. to Cape Cod. From the sprawling Northrop Grumman electronics plant near Baltimore to the Boeing helicopter factory
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Date:
8/15/2012
Reuters reported on January 10 that Textron, Inc. has initiated a review of strategic options that might result in the sale or spinoff of its defense businesses. While management clearly would like to retain the company's current multi-industry character, it has been under pressure behind the scenes
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Date:
1/11/2012
For nearly a decade now, diversification has been the "D" word in the defense industry -- the strategy that dare not speak its name. But conditions have deteriorated so badly in military markets that companies are contemplating expansion into adjacent areas, and even further afield. It's not just
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Date:
11/8/2011
Unmanned aircraft have become the signature weapon of America's global war on terrorists. Just last week, a CIA drone strike killed al Qaeda's second in command. But unmanned aircraft have limitations. First, they are usually defenseless against attack. Second, they are fragile. Third, their
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Date:
8/29/2011
As if the defense industry did not already face enough uncertainty, a new challenge has emerged to further complicate the plans of corporate executives. Activist investors such as longtime corporate raider Carl Icahn and Relational Investors CEO Ralph Whitworth are pressuring under-performing military
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Date:
7/12/2011