Aerospace industry relies on foreign trade.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Lockheed has 250-plus overseas partners

With the Cold War long gone, Lockheed Martin has been forced to change its business strategy over the years and compete commercially on a global basis.

It has been a 10-year transition for the company that used to rely on defense contracts from the United States government. Now, nearly 30 percent of the aerospace firm's revenue comes from foreign trade. Lockheed Martin needs the foreign contracts to stay in the game because U.S. government orders for rockets and fighter planes have decreased dramatically since the last Reagan days of 1989.

"Aerospace is a big dollar market, but a very narrow market," said Joel Johnson, vice president for internal affairs for the Aerospace Industry …