(Bloomberg) -- Raytheon Technologies Corp. plans to contest Lockheed Martin Corp.’s takeover of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc., a key supplier of rocket engines, with U.S. authorities.

“They are a huge supplier to us, and if that merger actually happens, you don’t have an independent supplier on the solid-rocket-motor side. And also, I think it gives us pause as we think about the competitive landscape going forward,” Raytheon Chief Executive Officer Greg Hayes said Wednesday at the Barclays Industrial Select virtual conference.

If the proposed $4.4 billion deal is completed, a top competitor would absorb a key supplier of solid rocket motors used in Raytheon’s missile systems. Hayes said the company would relay its concerns about the deal to the U.S. Justice and Defense departments.

Lockheed announced the acquisition in December in an effort to expand expand its foray into futuristic space travel and missile defense, targeting higher sales and cost savings as defense budgets tighten.

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