The aerospace industry has undergone tremendous change in recent years. Always something of an anomaly, due to its critical role in national economies and in national security, the sector has always been distinct from other manufacturing industries in its reliance on high-technology innovation and the shifting sands of private and public investment. Since the end of the Cold War, financial and other crises have led to a spate of mergers and acquisitions, leaving fewer and fewer players in the commercial airplane industry. Meanwhile, some firms exited the business altogether. State-owned...