SIC 3761 Manufacturers of Guided Missiles and Space Vehicles

Encyclopedia of American Industries | 2005 | Copyright

SIC 3761
MANUFACTURERS OF GUIDED MISSILES AND SPACE VEHICLES

This category covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing guided missiles and space vehicles. This industry also includes establishments owned by guided missile and space vehicle manufacturers and primarily engaged in research and development on these products, whether from enterprise funds or on a contract or fee basis. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing guided missile and space vehicle propulsion units and propulsion unit parts are classified in SIC 3764: Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Units and Propulsion Unit Parts; those manufacturing space satellites are classified in SIC 3669: Communications Equipment, Not Elsewhere Classified; those manufacturing guided missile and space vehicle airborne and ground guidance, checkout, and launch electronic systems and components are classified in SIC 3812: Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical Systems and Instruments; and those manufacturing guided missile and space vehicle airframes, nose cones, and space capsules are classified in SIC 3769: Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment, Not Elsewhere Classified. Research and development on guided missiles and space vehicles, on a contract or fee basis, by establishments not owned by guided missile or space vehicle manufacturers are classified in SIC 8731: Commercial Physical and Biological Research.

NAICS Code(s)

336414 (Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing)

Industry Snapshot

In 2001, guided missile and space vehicle manufacturers shipped approximately $13.6 billion worth of goods. This represented an increase in shipments from 2000 but down from the highs of the late 1990s. As of 2000, the defense market accounted for some 50 percent of the aerospace and defense industry's sales and was only expected to increase. Defense spending was on the rise for the first time in more than a decade—by some 15 percent in 2003—due to the war on terrorism and the war with Iraq. According to the Defense Department, military spending grew from $261 billion in 1999 to $361 billion in 2003. With the war in Iraq receiving heavy coverage, manufacturers of guided missiles hoped to benefit in terms of sales. Some 90 percent of the munitions used in the war with Iraq were precision-guided, a 10 percent increase from the first Persian Gulf War.

In contrast, the U.S. space program suffered a blow in the early part of the new century with the highly publicized Columbia space shuttle disaster and ensuing concerns about manned spacecrafts and safety. Already plagued by waning financing from the government for big space projects, the space program's hopes that corporate spending would pick up the slack began to fade. To stay competitive, satellite and rocket manufacturers began lowering prices and upping their bids for public assistance. Overall launches in 2001 reached new lows, and new launch contracts continued to dry up.

NASA began to move away from advancing technology toward increased safety and lowered costs. Pushing development plans of small orbital space planes just big enough to accommodate a crew of four astronauts, NASA made an important change by the push for these relatively low-tech vehicles, marking what may be an important trend that could affect the entire industry.

Organization and Structure

This industry classification comprises a large part of the aerospace industry, which is made up of roughly 4,000 companies. The production of missiles accounted for 5 percent of sales in the aerospace industry, and space vehicles (along with related equipment) accounted for 25 percent of sales.

Of the companies in the aerospace industry, only 60 were primary contractors, mostly in the guided missile and space vehicle sectors. These establishments regularly hire subcontractors in other sectors of the aerospace industry. Due to the size and technical scope of aerospace programs, a company that acts as the primary contractor on one project may be a subcontractor on another project.

This industry is subdivided by the type of manufacturing workload an establishment undertakes. Basically, three types of manufacturing establishments exist in this industry: manufacturers of conventional, battlefield, and short- to medium-range guided missiles; producers of strategic ballistic, antiballistic, and long-range missiles; and manufacturers of space vehicles.

Establishments rely on state-of-the-art systems management in which a subcontractor, often the major computer hardware supplier, supervises hundreds of companies at one time. The development of systems management in the United States has been credited to this industry.

Background and Development

The history of this industry is characterized by the world political climate and technological...

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