FACTBOX: Executives comment on economy, outlook

(Reuters) - The following comments on the economy and the industry outlook were made by executives from the global aerospace and defense industry at the Paris Air Show:

DAN MURPHY, CEO, ALLIANT TECHSYSTEMS (ATK.N)

"I think that the economy is bottoming, yes, but I am petrified by the debt that this country (United States) is taking on.

"I'm not sure that there's a wide recognition what sort of a long-term challenge this is going to be to pay it off."

RON SUGAR, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, NORTHROP GRUMMAN (NOC.N)

"The fear of continued freefall is basically behind us."

"We do not see the United States defense budget dramatically decreasing. In fact, if anything we're going to see (it) probably stable, maybe slightly increasing."

GIORGIO ZAPPA, COO, FINMECCANICA (SIFI.MI)

"U.S. defense spending remains very stable if you look beyond the big programs."