Northrop Grumman to Complete Major Component of Next-Generation U.S. Navy Aircraft


MEDIA ADVISORY, March 16, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) --



 What:   Ceremony to mark completion of first major component of
         EA-18G Growler, the U.S. Navy's next-generation electronic
         attack aircraft.

 When:   Friday, March 18, 2005
         9:30 a.m. ceremony
         Check-in at 9:15 a.m.

 Where:  Northrop Grumman Corporation, El Segundo
         Aviation Boulevard at 120th Street
         (Turn west on 120th Street, then left on Hornet Way.  Look
         for Lobby 1 on the right and park in marked stalls near
         lobby.  Enter Lobby 1 for check-in.)

 RSVP:   Jim Hart
         (310) 331-3616 (office)
         james.f.hart@ngc.com

         Brooks McKinney
         (310) 331-6110 (office)
         brooks.mckinney@ngc.com

Hundreds of Northrop Grumman employees will attend a ceremony in El Segundo on Friday, March 18, to celebrate completion of the first fuselage section for the U.S. Navy's next-generation, electronic attack aircraft, the EA-18G "Growler."

The employees will gather at the end of Northrop Grumman's aircraft assembly line for the ceremony. The centerpiece of the event will be an approximately 30-foot-long section of the EA-18G's center/aft fuselage with engine exhaust ducts and twin vertical tails.

The EA-18G is expected to begin replacing the Navy's EA-6B Prowler aircraft by the end of this decade. Northrop Grumman is principal subcontractor to The Boeing Company for the EA-18G, which is a variation of the combat-proven F/A-18 Super Hornet that Boeing and Northrop Grumman also produce for the Navy as the service's frontline carrier-based strike fighter.

Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector produces the center/aft fuselage and all associated subsystems for the F/A-18 and EA-18G. Each fuselage "shipset" is delivered to Boeing's production facility in St. Louis, Mo.

The F/A-18 and EA-18G programs help support 740 California businesses and more than 11,000 jobs, including approximately 1,500 at Northrop Grumman.