Woodward, Inc. [WWD] and Hexcel Corp. [HXL] on Sunday announced a merger of equals that will create a $5.3 billion company that is the sixth largest aerospace and defense supplier. The combined company would be called Woodward Hexcel, have more than 16,000 employees, and provide control solutions and advanced composites for commercial and military aircraft and industrial markets. Commercial aircraft make up most of the work, but the companies also participate on several military aircraft programs, notably the F-35 fighter,…
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