THE UNITED-STATES MISSILE AND SPACE INDUSTRY

The U.S. missile and space industry grew out of technological developments of the 1930s and 1940s. In the postwar decades, a dominant agglomeration formed in Southern California, composed of giant ''systems houses'' surrounded by networks of flexibly specialized producers. Throughout the 1960s, the industry grew rapidly; over the 1970s, employment declined; and over the 1980s, it expanded. Now, in the 1990s, reduced federal procurements and intensified foreign competition may cause a major downturn in the industry.