>When ULA was formed, Boeing and Lockheed were not only battling each other for launch contracts, they were also locked in a legal battle over rocket technology

>When ULA was formed, Boeing and Lockheed were not only battling each other for launch contracts, they were also locked in a legal battle over rocket technology. For the Pentagon, the joint-venture was a way to settle the bad blood between its top contractors and make sure that both could remain in the space launch business. ... > In his remarks, Tobey referred to that payment — about $800 million per year — as a carrot to “sweeten the deal” for the “shotgun wedding” the Pentagon forced on Boeing and Lockheed. ... > Shelby continues to defend the original concept of ULA, noting that Boeing and Lockheed were battling each other in court over rocket technology before the merger. >“There was a lot of trouble at one time between Boeing and Lockheed,” Shelby noted in a brief interview. Strange that the article never comes out and says it: Boeing committed industrial espionage and bribed Air Force procurement officials. http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-probe-intensifies-over-secret-lockheed-papers/ http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-probe-intensifie... http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E2D9103BF937A35751C0A9639C8B63 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E2D9103BF... https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2006/June/06_civ_412.html https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2006/June/06_civ_412....