The undersea warfare market used to be the domain of a number of niche market leaders, individual companies with a strong presence in specific areas. Now, as in other areas of the international defense industry, the corporate giants have been acquiring these smaller companies and adding them to their world conglomerate. (Hughes' acquisition of Alliant Techsystems is one example, which was followed by a merger of Hughes with Raytheon.) This is especially true when looking at the domestic markets of the superpower nations, as these countries tend to keep business within their own borders for both economic and political reasons.
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