PTThe Paper Trail Project

Research from the public record

Paper Trail Findings

Original findings about public money and power, with transparent methods and direct links to the evidence.

September 22, 2026

How Much Federal Money Goes to Major Defense Contractors?

Paper Trail tracked tens of billions of dollars in federal obligations to five major defense contractors. Here’s how Boeing, RTX, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and L3Harris compare.

Boeing Defense and RTX alone recorded more than $50 billion in federal obligations across their latest tracked 12-month periods. Paper Trail compared federal spending connected to five major U.S. defense contractors.

  • Federal Spending
  • Defense Contractors
  • Department of Defense
  • Boeing
  • RTX
  • Northrop Grumman
  • General Dynamics
  • L3Harris
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September 21, 2026

The Federal Government Obligated $64 Billion to Lockheed Martin in One Year. What Was It Buying?

Nearly all of it came from the Pentagon. Here’s what the federal contract records show the government was buying.

Federal agencies obligated about $64 billion to Lockheed Martin between August 19, 2025 and August 18, 2026. More than 97% came from the Department of Defense, funding programs ranging from fighter aircraft and missile systems to satellites and sustainment.

  • Federal Spending
  • Defense Contractors
  • Lockheed Martin
  • Department of Defense
  • Government Contracts
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