EL SEGUNDO, Calif., July 9, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Integrated Systems sector announced today it will perform component assembly operations for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program at its facility in Palmdale, Calif., and expand its operations in El Segundo for JSF development and component manufacturing work.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a principal member of the Lockheed Martin JSF team that was awarded an $18.9 billion contract in October 2001 for the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the program, which includes production of 22 aircraft. One of Northrop Grumman's primary responsibilities is the design, integration and manufacture of the aircraft's center fuselage section.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is a stealthy, supersonic aircraft designed for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as the British Royal Air Force and Navy. Plans call for more than 3,000 aircraft over the life of the program.
"Performing Northrop Grumman's work for the Joint Strike Fighter in El Segundo and Palmdale allows us to utilize the outstanding skills of the work forces in both areas," said Gary W. Ervin, sector vice president, Air Combat Systems. "We're proud of our long tradition of excellence in the South Bay and the Antelope Valley."
In Palmdale, assembly of the first JSF center fuselage is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2003 at Northrop Grumman's facility at Air Force Plant 42 where the company already performs maintenance of the B-2 stealth bomber and final assembly of unmanned aerial systems. Conducting JSF assembly at the same facility will provide significant operational efficiencies.
The company's JSF work in Palmdale is expected to account for about 250 jobs by 2006. Currently, Northrop Grumman's work on the B-2 and unmanned systems employs about 1,200 in the Antelope Valley.
Earlier this year, Northrop Grumman began moving into a newly leased facility near its current site in El Segundo to house the program administration and engineering work for its JSF activity. The company expects to have more than 1,000 employees, mostly engineers, in the new facility by the end of next year.
In addition, Northrop Grumman will perform initial manufacturing and composites fabrication at its existing facilities in El Segundo. That work will account for approximately 200 jobs over the next several years. Currently, Northrop Grumman employs about 3,500 people at its El Segundo operations.
The Lockheed Martin JSF team's other principal member is BAE SYSTEMS, and Pratt & Whitney, General Electric and Rolls-Royce also have significant roles on the program. Two other Northrop Grumman sectors, Electronic Systems in Baltimore, Md., and Information Technology, based in Herndon, Va., work on the JSF.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a premier aerospace systems integration enterprise. Integrated Systems has the capabilities to design, develop, integrate, produce and support complete aircraft systems, as well as airframe subsystems, for airborne surveillance and battle management, early warning aircraft, airborne electronic warfare aircraft and air combat missions. It is also integrating these capabilities for emerging network-centric warfare concepts.