Defense

WASHINGTON — Michele Evans, who led Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics business since 2018, died on Jan. 1, the company announced Saturday. Evans took a leave of absence that began Dec. 1 “to address health issues unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic,” according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing by the company. She previously took medical leave in September 2019 due to a cancer…

WASHINGTON — Buried inside the massive $2.3 trillion spending package passed by Congress on Monday was a $286 million lifeline for General Atomics that will keep the Air Force buying MQ-9 Reaper drones at least one more year. In its fiscal 2021 budget request, the Air Force eliminated funding to procure the Reaper, instead requesting about $172 million to begin shutting down General…

WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin will acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne in a $4.4 billion deal that will allow the defense giant to beef up its technical know-how in the areas of space, propulsion and munitions, the companies announced Dec. 20. The acquisition signals Lockheed’s continued interest in the areas of hypersonic weapons and space — two major technology development priorities for the…

WASHINGTON — Hanwha, South Korea’s largest defense company, and the U.S. Army have signed an agreement to research and develop defense systems and technologies together, according to a statement from the Asian firm. The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was signed Dec. 10 by Hanwha Corporation and Hanwha Defense and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command…