MELBOURNE, Fla., Aug. 30, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) KC-30 Tanker team will create and sustain more than 4,300 jobs throughout Illinois if the KC-30 Tanker aircraft is selected by the U.S. Air Force. Additionally, Northrop Grumman and the KC-30 Tanker supply base will generate economic activity in Illinois approaching $2 billion annually.
Northrop Grumman and principal KC-30 teammate EADS currently employ 5,000 Illinoisans and contribute more than $550 million to Illinois' economy, which indirectly support a total of 19,000 jobs across the state.
Northrop Grumman Defensive Systems Division in Rolling Meadows, Ill., supports the defense, aerospace and information technology industries through development and production of products such as the Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures system known as LAIRCM. Northrop Grumman's LAIRCM system is the only laser-based directional aircraft self-protection system in production and is installed or scheduled for installation on several hundred military aircraft that represent approximately 40 different fixed-wing transport and small rotary-wing platforms. The system functions by automatically detecting a missile launch, determining if it is a threat and activating a high-intensity laser-based countermeasure system to track and defeat the missile.
Integration of the LAIRCM system on the KC-30 Tanker will provide the U.S. Air Force with the most capable aerial refueling tanker protected by the latest generation of infrared countermeasures technology. This system provides warfighters and high-value Air Force aircraft protection against man-portable missile threats in hostile operational environments.
Northrop Grumman's KC-30 Tanker supply base in Illinois includes:
* Hamilton Sundstrand; Rockford, Ill. -- turbine and power generation control units * Abrasive Form; Bloomingdale, Ill. -- engine sub-assemblies * Danville Metal Stamping; Danville, Ill. -- engine sub-assemblies * NTN Bearing Corp.; Mount Prospect, Ill. -- engine sub-assemblies * MPC; Skokie, Ill. -- aerial refueling boom components * Northrop Grumman; Rolling Meadows, Ill. -- LAIRCM
The KC-30 Tanker aircraft will be assembled in Mobile, Ala., and the KC-30 team will employ 25,000 American workers at 230 U.S. companies. It will be built by a world-class industrial team led by Northrop Grumman, and includes EADS North America, General Electric Aviation and Sargent Fletcher.
About the KC-30: Northrop Grumman's KC-30 Tanker carries 45,000 more pounds of fuel than a KC-135 or any competitor, providing a significant boost to the U.S. Air Force's global reach. The KC-30 is also designed to refuel Navy and coalition aircraft, and to serve as a multi-role transport aircraft to move passengers, cargo and medical evacuation patients. The KC-30 incorporates defense systems, precision fly-by-wire technology, and the ability to integrate a militarized communications suite and a global support network.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.