Northrop Grumman Archives

Business

Northrop: GEM 63XL rocket motors to launch ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket

PROMONTORY, UT (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) conducted a validation ground test of an extended length 63-inch-diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63XL) today in Promontory. This variation of the company’s GEM 63 strap-on booster was developed in partnership with United Launch Alliance (ULA) to provide additional lift capability to the Vulcan Centaur rocket. “This new motor optimizes our best-in-class technologies and leverages flight-proven solid rocket propulsion designs to provide our customers with the most reliable product,” said Charlie Precourt, vice president, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman. “Evolving the original GEM 63 design utilizes our decades of GEM strap-on booster expertise while enhancing capabilities for heavy-lift missions.” During today...

Business

US Air Force Awards $325 Million Modification Work for Joint STARS

MELBOURNE, FL (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has received a $325 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for continued support of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS). The 2021 contract executes the Total System Support Responsibility (TSSR) program for the E-8C Joint STARS fleet with Northrop Grumman as the prime systems integrator for total support and sustainment to the U.S. Air Force. “We remain fully committed to delivering essential services for Joint STARS that Northrop Grumman uniquely provides to our warfighters,” said Janice Zilch, vice president, manned airborne surveillance programs, Northrop Grumman. “The overall modification and sustainment work will ensure continuous safety and system readiness for the E-8C fleet against ...

Business

Northrop Grumman to Enable New F-35 Warfighting Capability

BALTIMORE, MD (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has received a contract award from Lockheed Martin Corporation to enable new functionality to protect the 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II multi-role fighter. As part of a collaborative arrangement between Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin, the three companies will integrate Northrop Grumman’s AN/ASQ-242 Integrated Communications, Navigation and Identification (ICNI) and BAE Systems’ AN/ASQ-239 Electronic Warfare/Countermeasures (EW/CM) system for optimal operational utility. “This arrangement allows us to collectively provide enhanced capabilities without compromising the size, weight or power of the aircraft,” said Howard Lurie, vice president, F-35 programs, Northrop Grumman. “We are proud to be a prim...

Business

Northrop Grumman to Produce Additional Target Vehicles for US Navy

CHANDLER, AZ (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been awarded a production contract for 19 GQM-163A “Coyote” supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST) vehicles. The $57 million award could be worth up to $250 million with options for an additional 84 target vehicles. This brings the GQM-163A targets ordered to date to 200. “The Coyote is the only supersonic sea skimming target in production in the U.S.,” said Rich Straka, vice president, launch vehicles, Northrop Grumman. “This is our fourteenth full-rate production contract of reliable and proven threat representative targets.” The Coyote is a high performance, supersonic target missile used to test naval ship defenses. The company uses 3D printing extensively to build mockups, tooling, and preliminary design mod...

Business

Northrop Grumman, NASA Complete Final Sunshield Deployment Test

REDONDO BEACH, CA (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and NASA have successfully completed the final sunshield deployment test on the James Webb Space Telescope in preparation for its 2021 launch. “The success of this important milestone demonstrates the rigor and dedication of the Northrop Grumman and NASA team,” said Scott Willoughby, vice presi dent and program manager, James Webb Space Telescope, Northrop Grumman. “The sunshield is designed to deploy in space and that is exactly what we validated during this final round of testing.” Webb’s sunshield is a remarkable feat of human engineering and ingenuity designed to protect the telescope from light and heat emitted from the sun, Earth, and moon, and the observatory itself. The sunshield maintains Webb’s one-of-a...

Business

Northrop Grumman Completes Successful Testing on Solid Fuel Ramjet Concept

Projectile concept shows potential to extend munition range to more than 100km BALTIMORE, MD (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) successfully completed multiple rounds of tests on its Solid Fuel Ramjet (SFRJ) tactical engine configuration – a technology to enable long range precision fires, one of the U.S. Army’s key priorities. Conducted as part of phase one of the U.S. Army’s XM1155 Extended-Range Artillery Projectile (ERAP) program, the SFRJ tests validated gun-launched survivability and performance predictions, and demonstrated the potential of extending projectile range to more than 100 kilometers, which is a significant increase compared to current fielded artillery projectiles. The XM1155 ERAP program will provide an extended range, guided 155mm artillery roun...

Business

Northrop Grumman Board Declares Quarterly Dividend

FALLS CHURCH, VA (STL.News) The board of directors of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) declared a quarterly dividend of $1.45 per share on Northrop Grumman common stock, payable December 16, 2020, to shareholders of record as of the close of business November 30, 2020. Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Their 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

Business

Northrop Grumman Delivers 75,000th Tactical Gyroscope

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has produced its 75,000th G-2000 gyroscope, the smallest tactical-grade gyroscope for commercial and military customers. Well regarded for its performance and accuracy, the G-2000 senses orientation for numerous stabilization and targeting applications. “This milestone is a confirmation of the consistently reliable performance that the G-2000 offers for customers seeking high accuracy for a variety of missions,” said Brandon White, vice president, navigation and positioning systems, Northrop Grumman. “With its small form factor, the G-2000 provides a truly versatile solution for guiding and stabilization at a low cost.” About the width of a penny, the G-2000 is the smallest dynamically-tuned gyroscope produced...

Business

Northrop Grumman Supports Successful Flight Test for US Missile Defense Agency

Company’s ICBM target and its ground control systems contribute to homeland defense test CHANDLER, AZ (STL.News) The Missile Defense Agency successfully intercepted a Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) built Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) target that was launched during a flight test from the Reagan Test Site in the Kwajalein Atoll. FTM-44 satisfies a Congressional mandate to demonstrate that the MDA can use the Navy’s Aegis Combat System equipped with the Standard Missile 3 Block IIA (SM-3 IIA) to intercept intercontinental threats. “As the ICBM target prime contractor for the Missile Defense Agency, we understand how critical it is to launch a realistic threat target to ensure our nation’s defense systems work when called upon,” said Scott Lehr, vice president and...

Business

AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) upgrades continue

AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR) upgrades continue for Guard, reserve and active-duty fighters BALTIMORE, MD (STL.News) The U.S. Air Force has met Full Operational Capability (FOC) readiness for Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) AN/APG-83 SABR active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar on Air National Guard F-16s to meet a U.S. Northern Command Joint Emergent Operational Need (JEON) for homeland defense. On Sept. 7, the U.S. Air Force began installation of APG-83 radars on Air National Guard F-16s at Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the fourth U.S. Air Force base to receive AN/APG-83 SABR AESA radar upgrades. The radar upgrade of Air National Guard F-16s extends the operational viability and reliability of the fleet while providing pilots with 5th-gener...

Business

Northrop Grumman to Support NASA’s Artemis Missions

Northrop Grumman to Support NASA’s Artemis Missions with Motors for Orion Spacecraft’s Launch Abort System Abort and attitude control motors to support six crewed Artemis missions PROMONTORY, UT (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) will continue supporting NASA’s Artemis missions by providing six additional abort motors and attitude control motors (ACM) for the Orion human spaceflight capsule’s Launch Abort System (LAS), under an agreement with Lockheed Martin, Orion’s prime contractor. These motors will be used for six crewed Artemis missions III-VIII and are the first procured under the new Orion production contract. The Launch Abort System is a three-motor stack consisting of an abort motor, an attitude control motor and the jettison motor all mounted atop the Orion spa...

Business

Northrop Grumman Successfully Launches 14th Cargo Delivery Mission to the International Space Station

WALLOPS, VA (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) successfully launched the company’s Cygnus cargo resupply spacecraft, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla, to the International Space Station. “As our experience has grown with each Antares mission, we have improved efficiencies, evolved technologies and increased lift capabilities, flying nearly 90,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station to date,” said Scott Lehr, vice president and general manager, launch and missile defense systems, Northrop Grumman. After the nine minute ascent, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla, named for the first woman of Indian descent to fly in space, was deployed into orbit. Approximately two and a half hours later, the vehicle’s Ultra-flex solar arrays successfully deployed, and the spacecraft is current...

Business

Northrop Grumman will lead a nationwide team to deliver the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program

FALLS CHURCH, VA (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) was selected by the U.S. Air Force to modernize the nation’s aging intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system under a $13.3 billion contract awarded today for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center announced that the effort will span 8.5 years and include weapon system design, qualification, test and evaluation and nuclear certification. Upon successful completion of EMD, the Northrop Grumman team will begin producing and delivering a modern and fully integrated weapon system to meet the Air Force schedule of initial operational capability by 2029. “Our nation is facing a rapidly evolving threat environ...

Business

Northrop Grumman Developing Ground Station Prototypes for US Army’s TITAN Program

AURORA, CO (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been selected by the Defense Innovation Unit and the U.S. Army Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (TENCAP) office to develop two prototype ground stations for the Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN) system. The TITAN system will be a scalable and expeditionary intelligence ground station that will leverage space, high altitude, aerial and terrestrial layer sensors to provide targetable data that allows commanders at all echelons to quickly assess threats to their forces. In this prototype effort, Northrop Grumman’s deployable and semi-autonomous ground station prototypes will demonstrate the value of space assets in improving battlefield awareness and tactical intelligence in Anti-Access/Area D...

Business

Northrop Grumman Board Declares Quarterly Dividend

FALLS CHURCH, VA (STL.News) The board of directors of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) declared a quarterly dividend of $1.45 per share on Northrop Grumman common stock, payable Sept. 16, 2020, to shareholders of record as of the close of business Aug. 31, 2020. Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

Business

Northrop Grumman Provides Navigation System for NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Mission

WOODLAND HILLS, CA (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) will once again be the provider of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to support an expedition to Mars when NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Perseverance Mars Rover launches between July 30 and August 15. It will land at Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. The mission’s four major scientific objectives include studying the planet’s habitability, seeking biosignatures of past life, collecting core samples of the surface, and testing oxygen production in the planet’s atmosphere. Northrop Grumman’s LN-200S IMU will be mounted deep inside the Rover, providing data during the ground mission. The LN-200S is a reliable, low cost, lightweight IMU featuring three fiber optic gyroscopes and three silicon Micro Electro-Mechan...

Business

Northrop Grumman’s Firebird Completes Successful Multi-Day Capability Demonstration Flights

SAN DIEGO, CA (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) recently completed a series of mission focused engagements, including integration and testing of Overwatch Imaging’s TK-9 Earthwatch sensor. The sensor was integrated in one day as part of ongoing capability flights validating the wide range of missions the Firebird system can perform for government and commercial customers. “During this exercise we rapidly integrated sensors and utilized Firebird’s operational flexibility to demonstrate the system’s unique capability,” said Jane Bishop, vice president and general manager, autonomous systems, Northrop Grumman. “We leveraged Firebird’s communications suite and data processing power to patch in customers to our virtual feed so they were able to view flight activities in real...

Business

Northrop Grumman Surpasses Production of 50,000 Artillery Precision Guidance Kits

Company expands production capacity and signs contracts to continue production for the US Army and US Marine Corps PLYMOUTH, MN (STL.News) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced today that the company has surpassed the production and delivery of 50,000 Precision Guidance Kits (PGK) for 155mm artillery projectiles. Recently, the company signed a $137 million modification to its base contract for PGK production with the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps to produce additional precision guidance kits. The innovative PGK combines guidance capability and fuze functions in one device providing conventional projectiles the ability to consistently outperform the U.S. Army’s program objective for accuracy. “PGK is an example of how we are able to apply new capabilities to improve existi...