Northrop Grumman

Northrop

Grumman

By John Reardon, Editor

The company’s history goes well beyond the companies founded by Jack Northrop and Leroy Grumman. Today’s Northrop Grumman is a result of the integration of over 20 pioneering companies from across the aerospace, technology, and defense industries, each with their unique history of defining the possible. In the early days, the path that the company took was closely associated with John Knudsen Northrop until his retirement in 1952.

Northrop has four business units that make up this 90,000 person company. They are Aeronautical Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems, and Space Systems. Aeronautical Systems, headquartered in Redondo Beach, California, produces aircraft, spacecraft, high-energy laser systems, and microelectronics for the U.S. and other nations. Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, headquartered in Linthicum, Maryland creates military radar, sensors, and related products, including C4I radar systems for air defense, Airspace Management radar systems. Technology Services. The Technology Services sector headquartered in McNair, Virginia works on “the entire life cy

Northrop has four business units that make up this 90,000 person company.

Image 2 - The AQS-24B is a unman surface vehicle use in the detection of Mines.

cle of civil and defense platforms and capabilities through a range of services”.

In recent news from the Pentagon, Northrop has been identified as the front-runner for a mammoth contract to build the Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missiles. Originally planned for September of this year, the Air Force is eager to move forward. The contract to replace the aging Minuteman Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent was valued at more than $60 billion and could go significantly higher. Boeing pulled out of the competition after claiming Northrop had an unfair advantage. This left the contract uncontested with Northrop as the sole bidder.

Part of a larger $500 billion program to modernize the nuclear arsenal, the Pentagon is rushing to move forward and has said

Image 4 - MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance over vast areas.

they won’t be deterred by the COVID 19 concerns. As a fair amount of the work will be classified it is unclear how those working remotely might impact security issues. This also includes the many partners that will work with Northrop. Those most noted are Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, L3 Harris Technologies, Textron, and Raytheon Technologies.

In Mid 2018 Northrop acquired Orbital ATK to get a stronger position with the space industry. The new business sector is called Innovation Systems and includes the building and launch of the Cygnus Spacecraft. Innovations Systems is addressing the U.S. government’s national security satellites through the development of the Omega Space launch vehicle.

The company is lead by Kathy Warden who took on the role of CEO in January 2019 after being recognized by the board for her integration of Orbital ATK. She joined Northrop in 2008 after holding executive roles at General Dynamics, General Electric, and Veridian Corporation. She has shown her leadership in her short time at the helm by continuing to position the company to win against the competition.