Yes, they were. Back in WWII, pretty much every companies were in the war effort...

yunohn · on April 16, 2023

WW2: 1939-1945

IPO years per my research -

Raytheon: 1952

Boeing: 1962

Lockheed Martin: 1994

Northrop Grumman (pre merger): 1939

Hard to find clear sources on this, but doesn’t seem like the major defense contractors we’re talking about were public during WW2.

aynyc · on April 16, 2023

Ah, I tho OP means back then, the defense manufacturers weren't public. I didn't realize they meant today's defense contractors.

cafard · on April 17, 2023

I don't get it. Lockheed and Martin were different companies in WW II.

whitemary · on April 16, 2023

Those were "public" as in state-controlled. These are "public" as in publicly traded. Very big difference.