Aerospace industry analyst Richard Aboulafia, of The Teal Group, has hypothesized that the bomber selection could upend the defense industrial base. If Northrop doesn't win, its days as a military airframe prime contractor could be numbered, he said. "When the bomber program gets decided, someone is going to be without a seat at the table."

"They cut costs in anticipation of this downturn," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace consultant with Fairfax, Va.-based Teal Group. "Given the shifting political winds, it's likely that the downturn isn't even going to be as severe as feared."

The global drone aircraft industry will nearly triple in sales over the next 10 years, good news for London’s Diamond Aircraft. The local manufacturer is partnering with American military giant Northrop Grumman to make aerial surveillance aircraft here, the first likely to roll off the line by year’s end. “It is a growth area. If they are offering manned systems they are low cost and in demand around the world and there is a growing appeal,” said Phil Finnegan, director of corporate analysis at Fairfax, Va.,-based aerospace and defense consultancy Teal Group. “If they add unmanned, it increases the potential.” In 2013, the global surveillance aircraft industry was valued at about $3.1 billion a year. By 2022 that will grow to $8.1 billion, he said.

"The last bastion of the losing protectionist is to wave the bloody 'Buy America' shirt," said analyst Joel Johnson of the Teal Group. "It tells you they don't have another argument -- e.g., the (Northrop) product was newer, more capable and less risky."