SUMMARY
The following summary is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed information included elsewhere in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Because this is a summary, it may not contain all the information that may be important to you. You should read this entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including “Risk Factors” on page S-8, and the financial statements and the notes to those statements and other information incorporated herein by reference, before making a decision whether to invest in the notes.
The Company
We are a global security and aerospace company principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. We also provide a broad range of management, engineering, technical, scientific, logistics, system integration and cybersecurity services. We serve both U.S. and international customers with products and services that have defense, civil and commercial applications, with our principal customers being agencies of the U.S. Government. In 2021, 71% of our $67.0 billion in net sales were from the U.S. Government, either as a prime contractor or as a subcontractor (including 62% from the Department of Defense (DoD)), 28% were from international customers (including foreign military sales contracted through the U.S. Government) and 1% were from U.S. commercial and other customers.
We operate in four business segments: Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control (MFC), Rotary and Mission Systems (RMS) and Space. We organize our business segments based on the nature of the products and services offered. The following is a brief description of the activities of each of our business segments:
Aeronautics—Engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, sustainment, support and upgrade of advanced military aircraft, including combat and air mobility aircraft, unmanned air vehicles and related technologies. In 2021, Aeronautics generated net sales of $26.7 billion, which represented 40% of our total consolidated net sales.
Missiles and Fire Control—Provides air and missile defense systems; tactical missiles and air-to-ground precision strike weapon systems; logistics; fire control systems; mission operations support, readiness, engineering support and integration services; manned and unmanned ground vehicles; and energy management solutions. In 2021, MFC generated net sales of $11.7 billion, which represented 17% of our total consolidated net sales.
Rotary and Mission Systems—Designs, manufactures, services and supports various military and commercial helicopters, surface ships, sea and land-based missile defense systems, radar systems, sea and air-based mission and combat systems, command and control mission solutions, cyber solutions, and simulation and training solutions. In 2021, RMS generated net sales of $16.8 billion, which represented 25% of our total consolidated net sales.
Space—Engaged in the research and development, design, engineering and production of satellites, space transportation systems, and strategic, advanced strike, and defensive systems. Space provides network-enabled situational awareness and integrates complex space and ground global systems to help our customers gather, analyze and securely distribute critical intelligence data. Space is also responsible for various classified systems and services in support of vital national security systems. In 2021, Space generated net sales of $11.8 billion, which represented 18% of our total consolidated net sales.