FTC sues to block Lockheed’s purchase of supplier Aerojet

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are suing to block a Lockheed Martin acquisition that it says would limit competition among companies that supply missiles to the Pentagon. The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that the $4.4 billion deal would eliminate the last independent U.S. supplier of key missile parts. The FTC says that if the deal goes through, Lockheed will jack up prices that the government must pay for weapons systems. The FTC lawsuit would block Lockheed from buying Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings. Lockheed’s missile-building competitors include Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Boeing.