ArmsTech
01
Defense contractor headquartered in Seattle. During the peak of the Cold War arms race, ArmsTech grew to be the 2nd largest contractor in the industry. In other words, the company is a "merchant of death". However, military cutbacks in the 1990s dealt a blow to its profits. The company was faced with bankruptcy when it failed to win contracts for the Strategic Defense Initiative and the development of next-generation jet fighters. To recover their losses, ArmsTech proposed the Metal Gear program to DARPA, who funded the project with the Pentagon's black budget.
In 2005, the company secretly commenced construction of Metal Gear REX on the island of Shadow Moses, but ArmsTech president, Kenneth Baker, was kidnapped during a revolt led by Liquid Snake. The Metal Gear REX project was subsequently put on hold, and one of the most prominent defense contractors was driven to the brink of financial ruin.