FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Nov. 26, 2013 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been rated the number one aerospace and defense (A&D) company in the 2013 Gartner Supply Chain Top 25: A&D report. This is the ninth annual Gartner Supply Chain survey, conducted to raise awareness of the supply chain discipline and how it impacts the business, according to Gartner. The rankings are based on company and supply chain financial performance, as well as inputs from supply chain analysts and companies around the world with leading supply chains.

"We recognize the critical role our supply chain plays in helping us apply innovation, affordability and top performance to meet the increasingly more challenging global security needs of our customers," said Harry Q. H. Lee II, vice president, Corporate Contracts, Pricing and Supply Chain, Northrop Grumman. "We track our performance in this area and our supply chain – including our employees, suppliers, processes and tools – has made a significant contribution to Northrop Grumman's affordability and performance objectives. We believe the Gartner ranking is further evidence that we are on the right track."

In 2012, Northrop Grumman contracted $7.9 billion to a broad base of approximately 9,500 suppliers.More than 35 percent of Northrop Grumman procurement spending goes to small, women or minority-owned firms. The company has met and exceeded the 23 percent small business statutory goal for more than 10 consecutive years and has received numerous awards and recognition for support of socio-economic business programs.

The 2013 Gartner Supply Chain Top 25: A&D report was prepared by Gartner analysts Jane Feitler, Ray Barger, Jr. and Marko Pukila.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.