As of 2004, it had 125,000+ employees working at hundreds of sites in the U.S. and abroad, and an annual revenue of US$30.7 billion. Northrop Grumman ranks #58 on the 2005 Fortune 500 list of U.S. industrial companies.^[2]

Products

Much of the company's focus is on missiles and missile systems. The best known products of Northrop Grumman are the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber, the RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle and the F-14 Tomcat carrier-based strike fighter.

Naval products

Northrop Grumman's many products are made by separate business units. Newport News Shipbuilding manufactures all U.S. aircraft carriers, and is the only company capable of building Nimitz-class supercarriers. It also produces a large percentage of U.S. nuclear submarines. A separate sector, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, produces assault ships and many other commercial and military craft, including icebreakers, tankers, and cargo ships. In a partnership with Science Applications International, Northrop Grumman provides naval engineering and architecture services as well as naval maintenance services.

Aerospace products

Separate sectors, such as Space Technology, product aircraft for the U.S. and other nations. The B-2 Spirit strategic bomber, the E-8c surveillance aircraft, the RQ-4 Global Hawk, and the T-38 Talon supersonic trainer are used by the U.S. Air Force. The Navy uses Northrop Grumman-built vehicles such as the BQM-74 Chukar, C-2 Greyhound, E-2C Hawkeye, and the EA-6B Prowler. Many aircraft, such as the F-5 Tiger, T-38 Talon, E-2C Hawkeye, and the F/A-18 Hornet, are sold to other nations. Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems produces and maintains AWACS aerial surveillance systems for the U.S. and Great Britain. A UK-based subsidiary, Park Air Systems, makes navigation, traffic control, and communications equipment for aircraft in the UK.

The Space Technology sector builds NASA satellites, propulsion systems, and mission payloads, as well as various Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars") defensive laser systems. Rocket launch systems are produced by the Information Technology sector.

Other products

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems creates C4I radar systems for air defense, and Airspace Management radar systems air traffic control. Other radar are used in F-16 Fighting Falcons and other military aircraft, or in battlefield surveillance systems like ARL. Remotec, a subsidiary, is the foremost manufacturer of remote control vehicles for explosive ordanance disposal and hazardous material handling. Many other smaller products are made by Northrop Grumman, such as night-vision goggles and secure communications equipment.

Services

In addition to providing the products created by Northrop Grumman, the company also provides many military and non-military services, usually to governments. It is the largest supplier of IT services to the U.S. federal government, for instance. And Vinnell, a Northrop Grumman subsidiary, provides training and communications services for the military.

Many smaller nations and individual states in the U.S. have contracted Northrop Grumman for various large-scale projects. In 2005, for instance, the company won a $2 billion contract with Virginia to overhaul most of the state's IT operations.^[3] And later that year, Great Britain paid for a $1.2 billion contract with the company to provide maintenance of many aspects of the country's defensive radar.^[4]

Northop Grumman also performs various foreign functions in the War on Drugs. The company sends planes to spray herbicides on suspected cocaine fields in Colombia and opium poppy fields in Afghanistan.^[5][6]

History

Originally formed in California in 1939, Northrop Corporation was reincorporated in Delaware in 1985. In 1994, Northrop Aircraft merged with Grumman Aerospace to create the company Northrop Grumman. Both companies were previously established in the airplane manufacturing industry, and Grumman was famous for building the Apollo Lunar Module. The new company acquired Westinghouse Electronic Systems in 1996, a major manufacturer of radar systems. Logicon, a defense computer contractor, was added in 1997. Previously, Logicon had acquired Geodynamics Corporation in March 1996 and Syscon Corporation in February 1995.

A merger between Northop Grumman and competitor Lockheed Martin was not approved by the U.S. government in 1998, slowing the consolidation of the defense industry. But in 1999, the company acquired Teledyne Ryan, which developed surveillance systems and unmanned aircraft. It also acquired the California Microwave, Inc., and Data Procurement Corporation, in the same year. Other entities acquired included Inter-National Research Institute Inc. (1998), Federal Data Corporation (2000), Navia Aviation As (2000), Comptek Research, Inc. (2000), and Sterling Software, Inc. (2000).

In 2001 the company acquired Litton Industries, a shipbuilder and provider of defense electronics systems to the U.S. Navy. During the acquisition process, a new Delaware holding company, NNG, Inc., was formed. It merged with Northrop Grumman through a one-for-one common shares exchange in April 2001. Both Northrop Grumman and Litton became subsidiaries of the new holding company. The original Northrop Grumman Corporation then changed its name to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation; the holding company, NNG, Inc., changed its name to Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Later that year, Newport News Shipbuilding (one of only two producers of nuclear submarines) was added to the company. And in 2002, Northop Grumman acquired TRW, a space systems and laser systems manufacturer. There have been many other smaller acquisitions throughout the same period.^[7]

Northrop Grumman and Boeing have also recently collaborated on a design concept for NASA's upcoming Crew Exploration Vehicle. Northrop Grumman announced formation of a new business unit (sector), effective January 1, 2006 called Technical Services.

Accolades

Northrop Grumman was named Forbes's Company of the Year in 2002. Forbes's announcement credited the company with "master[ing] the art of innovation."^[8] Northrop Grumman no longer appears on their list of America's 400 Best Big Companies, however.^[9] Northrop Grumman is credited with sponsoring educational programs^[10] and donating thousands of dollars to various charities.^[11][12] Many members of the U.S. government have attended company events and spoken highly of the company and its contributions.^[13]