General Dynamics

General Dynamics is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures. It has changed markedly in the post-cold war era of defense consolidation.

Its current 2002 divisions and major products include:

• Aerospace - business aircraft
• Combat Systems - land and amphibious military vehicles M1 Tank[?], Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle[?] (AAAV), the XM2001 Crusader artillery system, and the Interim Armored Vehicle[?]
• Information Systems and Technology
• Marine Systems - Seawolf-, Ohio-, and Los Angeles-class submarines and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers

Predecessor companies:

• Electric Boat was established in 1899 and became General Dynamics in 1952
• Chrysler combat systems were acquired in 1982
• Bath Iron Works was established in 1890 and acquired in 1995
• Gulfstream Aerospace[?] was founded in 1958 and acquired in 2001
• National Steel and Shipbuilding[?] was established in 1905 and acquired in 1998

It has about $12 billion in sales, primarily military, but also civilian with its Gulfstream Aerospace unit and conventional ship-building and repair with its National Steel and Shipbuilding subsidiary.

Business it no longer has:

• coal mining
• building materials
• limestone
• concrete
• Cessna in 1992 to Textron[?]
• space systems to Martin Marietta[?]
• tactical missiles
• fixed wing military aircraft

It has tried to acquire Newport News Shipbuilding but been blocked by regulators and competitors.

Its Web site is http://www.gd.com/.