Maybe we are finally getting serous about missile defense. Although if Obama is elected he has already stated he will put a stop to unproven missile defense technology.
Part of the reason defense contracts go up is the Congressional habit of slowing them down and spreading a 'buy' out over more years. Given the fickle finger of Congress the Contractors tend to do more front loading of their R&D costs since they can no longer count on getting their sunk costs back in a timely (reasonable) fashion, if at all.
