EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 3, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has honored Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) for the fourth consecutive year for achieving 100 percent product quality and 100 percent on-time delivery of parts and assemblies.
The DLA's Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) will award Best Value Gold Medals to Northrop Grumman for its work on the F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-5 fighter, T-38 trainer and B-2 stealth bomber programs. This is the fourth year in a row that Northrop Grumman has been honored for the F/A-18, F-5 and T-38 programs and the third consecutive year it has been recognized for the B-2 program.
"We cherish these Gold Medals because they represent Northrop Grumman's commitment to provide customers with best-value products in terms of quality, cost and schedule," said Gary W. Ervin, sector vice president, Air Combat Systems, Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems sector. "Northrop Grumman strives to be the most trusted provider of systems and technologies, and being recognized year after year validates the consistency of our hard work."
As the primary procurement center for aircraft equipment spares and maintenance items, the DSCR uses information from its Automated Best Value System database that collects delivery and quality records for all manufacturers providing products to the DLA. Contractor rating from this system is one of the factors considered by the government when making best-value contract award decisions.
To receive a Gold Medal, the contractor must have a perfect rating on all contract line items shipped to the supply center in a 12-month period. Northrop Grumman delivered 419 contract line items and 5,483 parts worth more than $7.3 million in 2004. Silver and bronze awards are presented to companies with ratings of 99 percent and 98 percent, respectively.
The awards will be presented June 6-8 during the annual DSCR Business Conference in Richmond, Va.
Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the U.S. Air Force's B-2, a strategic, long-range, multi-role bomber that can penetrate hostile air space without being detected. As principal subcontractor to The Boeing Company on the U.S. Navy's F/A-18, the company produces the center/aft fuselage section and twin vertical tails and integrates all associated subsystems. Northrop Grumman also is prime contractor for the F-5, an agile, highly maneuverable fighter in service with the United States and several other countries, and the T-38, the U.S. Air Force's primary supersonic trainer.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a premier aerospace and defense systems integration organization. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., it designs, develops, produces and supports network-enabled integrated systems and subsystems optimized for use in networks. For its government and civil customers worldwide, Integrated Systems delivers best-value solutions, products and services that support military and homeland defense missions in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; space access; battle management command and control; and integrated strike warfare.