Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as a global aerospace and defense technology company.
The company delivers a broad range of products, services, and solutions to the U.S. and international customers, and principally to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community. Its broad portfolio is aligned to support national security priorities and its solutions equip its customers with capabilities they need to connect, protect, and advance humanity.
The company is a leading prov...
Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as a global aerospace and defense technology company.
The company delivers a broad range of products, services, and solutions to the U.S. and international customers, and principally to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community. Its broad portfolio is aligned to support national security priorities and its solutions equip its customers with capabilities they need to connect, protect, and advance humanity.
The company is a leading provider of space systems, military aircraft, missile defense, advanced weapons and long-range fires capabilities, mission systems, networking and communications, strategic deterrence systems, and breakthrough technologies, such as advanced computing, microelectronics, and cyber.
Segments
The company operates through four segments: Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems, and Space Systems.
Aeronautics Systems segment
Aeronautics Systems is a leader in the design, development, production, integration, sustainment, and modernization of advanced aircraft systems for the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, other U.S. government agencies, and international customers. Major products include strategic long-range strike aircraft; tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft; airborne battle management and command and control systems; and unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) strategic intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems. Approximately 45 percent of this business is performed through restricted programs. Key programs include:
Development and production of the U.S. Air Force B-21 Raider long-range strike aircraft that defines sixth-generation technologies;
Modernization and sustainment services for the B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft;
Fuselage production for the F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter and F/A-18 Super Hornet for use by U.S. and international forces;
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye battle management aircraft production for the U.S. Navy, Japan, and France;
MQ-4C Triton, which provides wide area strategic ISR over vast ocean and coastal regions for maritime domain awareness to the U.S. Navy and Australia;
RQ-4 Global Hawk, which provides high resolution imagery of land masses for theater awareness and strategic ISR to the U.S. Air Force, Japan, and the Republic of Korea; and
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS), a Global Hawk variant, for strategic ISR missions conducted in multinational theater operations.
Defense Systems segment
Defense Systems is a leader in the design, engineering, development, integration, and production of strategic deterrent systems, advanced tactical weapons, and missile defense solutions, and a provider of sustainment, modernization and training services for manned and unmanned aircraft and electronics systems for the U.S. military and a broad range of international customers. Major products and services include strategic missiles; integrated, all-domain command and control (C2) systems; precision strike weapons; advanced propulsion, including tactical solid rocket motors and high speed air-breathing and hypersonic systems; high-performance gun systems, ammunition, precision munitions and advanced fuzes; and aircraft and mission systems logistics support, sustainment, operations and modernization. Less than 5 percent of this business is performed through restricted programs. Key programs include:
Sentinel Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD) program, initial phase of the modernization of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system that will serve as the ground-based strategic deterrent for the U.S. nuclear triad;
Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) for the U.S. Army and Poland, which is an open architecture system that seamlessly integrates sensors and effectors to deliver among the most advanced C2 systems for joint and coalition forces;
Medium (30mm and 20mm) and Large (120mm) caliber tactical and training ammunition production;
Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) propulsion and warhead subsystems for a surface-to-surface system used to defeat targets using indirect precision fires;
U.S. Navy’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM), a medium-range, air-to-surface missile, and its extended range variant, AARGM-ER;
U.S. Air Force’s Stand-In Attack Weapon (SiAW), an advanced capability air-to-surface tactical missile for the F-35;
Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) air-breathing, scramjet propulsion subsystem for the hypersonic air-launched cruise missile to travel at speeds of Mach 5 or greater;
Global system sustainment and operations support for the F-35, B-2, P-3 Orion, E-6B Mercury, KC-30A multi-role tanker, C-27J transport, NATO AGS, Triton and restricted programs;
Precision Guidance Kit (PGK), replaces conventional fuzes for artillery and mortar munitions and transforms them into Global Positioning System enabled precision guided weapons;
Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2), the Army’s long-standing program of record for short range air defense and Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM), as well as the interim C2 for Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS);
AAQ-24 sensor sustainment and repair for U.S. military customers; and
Special Electronics Mission Aircraft (SEMA) ISR support.
Mission Systems segment
Mission Systems is a leader in advanced mission solutions and multifunction systems, primarily for the U.S. defense and intelligence community, and international customers. Major products and services include command, control, communications and computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems; radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) and acoustic sensors; electronic warfare systems; advanced communications and network systems; advanced microelectronics; navigation and positioning sensors; maritime power, propulsion and payload launch systems; full spectrum cyber solutions; and intelligence processing systems. Approximately 30 percent of this business is performed through restricted programs. Key unrestricted programs include:
Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), an active electronically scanned array fire control radar system for F-16 aircraft;
F-35 fire control radar and Distributed Aperture System (DAS), which provides 360 degree field of view tracking, identifying, missile warning, and night vision capabilities;
F-35 Communications, Navigation and Identification (CNI) integrated avionics system, which provides secure communications and interoperability capabilities;
Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR), a mobile multi-mode active electronically scanned array;
Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block III, which protects surface ships from anti-ship missiles, provides early detection, signal analysis and threat warning;
Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C). The centerpiece of the E-7 AEW&C aircraft is the Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar, which enables 360 degree long range advanced air moving target indicator (AMTI) capabilities for Battle Management, Command and Control, and Maritime Surveillance;
Large Aircraft and Common Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM, DoN LAIRCM, CIRCM) systems, which protect large aircraft, as well as rotary wing and medium fixed wing aircraft from infrared missiles using advanced laser technology;
Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN), one of the first airborne gateway systems that allows platforms to communicate and securely share data;
DDG Modernization, which consists of several subsystems to support modernization of Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, including Integrated Bridge and Navigation Systems (IBNS) and ship control systems;
LITENING Advanced Targeting Pod, an electro-optical infrared sensor system for targeting and surveillance that enables aircrews to detect, acquire, identify and track targets at long ranges;
APR-39 DV(2) and EV(2) Radar Warning Receiver programs, which provide a digital radar warning receiver for the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines;
Exploitation and cyber programs, which provide cyber and intelligence domain support through unique intelligence and cyber capabilities;
AC/MC 130J Radio Frequency Countermeasures system, which provides superior situational awareness and better enables aircraft survivability in operationally relevant environments; and
Embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) / Inertial Navigation Systems-Modernization (EGI-M) program, which provides state-of-the-art airborne navigation capabilities with an open architecture that enables rapid responses to future threats.
Space Systems segment
Space Systems is a leader in delivering end-to-end mission solutions through the design, development, integration, production, and operation of space, missile defense, and launch systems for national security, civil government, commercial, and international customers. Major products include satellites and spacecraft systems, subsystems, sensors and payloads; ground systems; missile defense systems and interceptors; and launch vehicles and related propulsion systems. Approximately 40 percent of this business is performed through restricted programs. Key unrestricted programs include:
Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) satellites and payloads providing assured, no-fail, and survivable Nuclear Command and Control (NC3) communications capabilities;
Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) program satellites and payloads providing resilient and enhanced missile warning over the critical northern polar region;
Space Development Agency Tracking and Transport layers providing missile warning/tracking and resilient, low-latency, high-volume data transport communication systems;
Missile defense systems, interceptors, targets, mission processing and boosters for the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Ground-based Midcourse Defense Weapon Systems (GWS);
Cygnus spacecraft, used in the execution of the company’s Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contracts with NASA to resupply and re-boost the International Space Station;
Development and production of solid rocket motors for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) heavy lift vehicle;
Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module in support of NASA’s Lunar Gateway;
63-inch diameter Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63) and the extended length variation (GEM 63XL) solid rocket boosters used to provide lift capability for the ATLAS V and Vulcan launch vehicles;
Medium-class solid rocket motors for the U.S. Navy's Trident II Fleet Ballistic Missile program;
Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) Cooperative Development producing interceptor capability to defeat hypersonic threats;
Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS) satellites and payloads providing resilient, protected tactical communications to U.S. forces; and
Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) satellites and payloads expanding both commercial, as well as military broadband communications for an international partner.
Customer Concentration
The company’s primary customer is the U.S. government, from which it derives 87 percent of its sales in 2024. The company has a number of large programs with the U.S. Department of the Air Force, in particular.
Research and Development
The company-sponsored research and development costs were $1.1 billion in 2024.
Competition
The Boeing Company, General Dynamics Corporation, L3Harris Technologies, Inc., Lockheed Martin Corporation, and RTX Corporation are some of the company’s primary competitors.
History
Northrop Grumman Corporation was founded in 1939.