Untitled Document
Northrop Aircraft Incorporated
A leading designer and manufacturer of strikingly original aircraft, this company pioneered the Flying Wing concept, which culminated in the B-2 stealth bomber |
Year |
Event |
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1939 |
John K. “Jack” Northrop, a skilled and innovative designer, forms Northrop Aircraft Incorporated in Hawthorne, Calif. |
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1940 |
Northrop builds its first aircraft, the N-3PB patrol bomber, for the Norwegian Air Force |
1944 |
The P-61 Black Widow night fighter enters combat |
1946 |
First flight of the XB-35 flying wing |
1948 |
First flight of the successor to the P-61, the F-89 Scorpion, a heavily-armed, all-weather fighter-interceptor and one of the world's first jet fighters |
1952 |
Northrop acquires Radioplane Company, manufacturer of target drones |
1959 |
First flight of the F-5, a supersonic fighter combining low cost, ease of maintenance and great versatility. Northrop delivers the first fighter to the U.S. Air Force in 1964. The company develops several versions of the plane, which will be used by militaries in more than 30 countries |
1959 |
To reflect the changing character of its business, Northrop Aircraft Incorporated changes its name to Northrop Corporation |
1960 |
The SM-62 Snark, the first online intercontinental guided missile, enters service |
1961 |
The T-38 supersonic trainer enters service. It will be used to train more than 68,000 U.S. Air Force pilots and thousands of foreign pilots |
1978 |
Northrop delivers the first F/A-18 Hornet shipset |
1982 |
First flight of the F-20 Tigershark, an advanced version of the F-5; this aircraft could be airborne 60 seconds after an alert, the fastest scramble time of any fighter in the world |
1989 |
First flight of the B-2 stealth bomber, a descendent of Jack Northrop's flying wing design |
1990 |
First flight of the YF-23, another aircraft with stealth characteristics that is unofficially known as Black Widow II |
1991
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The company receives the Robert J. Collier Trophy (with the B-2 Industry Team and the United States Air Force) for the design, development, production, and flight testing of the B-2 aircraft. The Collier Trophy is the most prestigious aviation award, annually given for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics |
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The defense industry in the early 1990s was in flux. Given the new challenges facing the world, defense enterprises knew they either had to grow or be acquired. The Northrop Corporation elected to grow. The first step was to acquire Grumman Corporation in 1994. |
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Grumman Corporation
A premier military aircraft systems integrator and builder of the Lunar Module that first delivered men to the surface of the moon |
Year |
Event |
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1930 |
Leroy Grumman, Jake Swirbul, Bill Schwendler, E. Clint Towl and Ed Poor start a new enterprise, Grumman Aeronautical Engineering Company, in an abandoned auto garage |
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1931 |
The XFF-1 is the first Navy fighter with fully retractable landing gear (which Grumman designed) and fully enclosed cockpit |
1936 |
Grumman expands its operations to Bethpage, N.Y. |
1940 |
First flight of the Grumman Wildcat incorporating the sto-wing design |
1942 |
Grumman becomes the first aircraft company to receive the Navy E flag for production efficiency |
1944 |
Grumman introduces the F6F Hellcat; Hellcat pilots account for 55 percent of all enemy aircraft destroyed by the Navy and Marines in World War II |
1947 |
The Grumman F9F Panther jet prototype makes its first flight |
1948 |
Leroy Grumman receives the Presidential Medal of Merit for wartime production |
1952 |
First flight of the Jaguar, the first variable sweep-wing fighter |
1960 |
The A-6 Intruder attack aircraft prototype makes its first flight |
1960 |
E-2A Hawkeye's first flight; this aircraft becomes the U.S. Navy's only airborne early warning and control platform |
1963 |
First flight of the EA-6 Electric Intruder, the company's first airborne electronic attack aircraft that led to the Navy and Marine Prowlers, was built for the Marines |
1967 |
The Vietnam War sees the A-6 Intruder, the world's only all-weather attack bomber used by Navy and Marine Corps squadrons |
1968 |
The EA-6B Prowler makes its first flight |
1969 |
The Apollo Lunar Module carries man to the surface of the moon |
1974 |
In the last days of the Vietnam War, the F-14, in its first deployment with USS Enterprise, flies top cover during the evacuation of Saigon |
1977 |
First flight of the EF-111A, designed to detect, sort, identify and nullify different enemy radars. |
1988 |
Joint STARS prototype makes its first flight |
1994 |
Acquired by Northrop Corporation; today it is part of the Aerospace Systems and Mission Systems sectors |
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Westinghouse Electric Corporation
(DEFENSE AND ELECTRONICS BUSINESS)
A world leader in the development and production of sophisticated electronic systems for the nation's defense, civil aviation, and other international and domestic applications |
Year |
Event |
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1938 |
Westinghouse’s Radio Division moves to Baltimore from Massachusetts |
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1939 |
Westinghouse more than doubles its manufacturing area in its Baltimore location to accommodate production of the highly-secret SCR-270 aircraft warning radar |
1941 |
An SCR-270 radar detects the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor; its warnings go unheeded because of high-level uncertainty about the new technology's reliability. The first ground-based radar built for the Army Signal Corps, the SCR-270 will be the only model to stay in action throughout all of World War II |
1941 - 1945 |
The Radio Division manufactures approximately 50 products during the war. Until 1942, most of this is radio equipment; later production shifts to radar products. Wartime production includes ground-based and naval radio and radar, electronic fuses, and torpedoes |
1953 |
The company patents the key technologies for pulse doppler radar, making possible airborne systems that can detect both stationary and moving targets, determine range, and distinguish targets from background clutter. Pulse Doppler is the basis for all airborne radars in use today |
1966 |
The company designs and develops a miniaturized black-and-white camera that captures images from the Lunar Module |
1967 |
The world's first solid-state radar, the AN/APQ-120, is produced by the company |
1974 |
The company produces the AN/ANPG-66 radar for F-16 fighter |
1976 |
Westinghouse delivers the first E-3 AWACS long-range surveillance radar |
1990 |
Westinghouse acquires Park Air Electronics; today it is part of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems |
1996 |
Westinghouse is selected to design, build and test the radar for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter |
1996 |
Acquired by Northrop Grumman; today, it is part of our Mission Systems sector |
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Logicon Corporation
Provider of military and commercial information systems and services to meet the needs of its national defense, civil and industrial customers |
Year |
Event |
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1961 |
Eight engineers who work for Southern California aerospace companies found Logicon Incorporated with the goal of applying computer technology to national defense needs |
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1962 |
First prime contract win to directly support the Tactical Data System, beginning the company's long and successful relationship with the Navy |
1962 |
Logicon lands the Air Force contract to support the Titan III space booster program |
1963 |
The company notches its first competitive contract award win – the ICBM Advanced Targeting Study for the Air Force |
1970s |
Logicon produces process control systems for the U.S. Postal Service - including computers, electronics and software - that will automate mail handling at 21 bulk mail centers throughout the United States. The company develops software for the Air Force's ballistic missile program, verifies and validates software for Air Force weapon systems, and develops large-scale simulation systems for the Navy |
1983 |
Logicon acquires R&D Associates, whose focus is on policy issues, research into nuclear weapons effects, analysis of national intelligence collection systems and energy problems. This acquisition increases company's size by about 50 percent and adds a new customer base |
1980s |
The company acquires Operating Systems Incorporated; Chase, Rosen and Wallace; Eagle Technology; and Fourth Generation Technology Incorporated, which brings expertise in message text handling, information dissemination, interoperability, and fourth-generation software programming languages. During this period, the company supports the Strategic Defense Initiative and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
1991 |
Acquires Ultrasystems |
1995 |
Acquires Syscon Corporation, which specializes in support to the Navy, most notably on the AEGIS program and the Naval Sea Systems Command. |
1996 |
Acquires Geodynamics Corporation |
1997 |
Acquired by Northrop Grumman; today it is part of our Mission Systems sector |
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Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical
A world leader in the design, development and manufacture of unmanned airborne reconnaissance, surveillance, deception and target systems |
Year |
Event |
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| 1922 |
T. Claude Ryan founds the Ryan Flying Company |
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| 1925 |
The company is incorporated as Ryan Airlines with partner B. F. Mahoney |
1926 |
T. Claude Ryan establishes a separate Ryan Aeronautical Company |
1927 |
A group of St. Louis investors asks Ryan if he can build a plane for a nonstop transatlantic trip within 60 days. He accepts the challenge and produces the Spirit of St. Louis, which Charles Lindbergh flies across the Atlantic |
| 1928 |
Siemens, which wishes to establish its own distributorship in the United States, buys out Ryan for $75,000 |
| 1931 |
With the funds received from the Siemens purchase, Ryan starts the Ryan School of Aeronautics; the school will train thousands of World War II Army pilots, very likely becoming the largest contract flying school in the nation |
1934 |
Ryan Aeronautical Company is formed; the Ryan School of Aeronautics eventually becomes a subsidiary |
1934 |
First flight of the Ryan ST, the first design by the new company |
1940 |
The experimental YO-51 Dragonfly observation craft pioneers short-takeoff-and-landing techniques |
1940s |
The company wins important experimental aircraft contracts and is one of the early leaders in the emerging missile and unpiloted-aircraft fields. During this period, Ryan also pioneers Doppler systems and lunar landing radar |
| 1948 |
Ryan wins a competition for a new jet-powered Air Force target, originally known as the Q-2. This target becomes know as the “Firebee” |
| 1956 |
The Air Force sponsors the Ryan X-13 Vertijet vertical-takeoff-and-landing high-performance combat aircraft |
| 1959 |
The Q-2 Firebee is upgraded to its definitive airframe configuration and is given the designation of BQM-34 |
| 1962 |
The Cuban missile crisis results in a program to equip the Ryan BQM-34 with a camera after the loss of a U-2 aircraft over Cuba |
| 1965-1975 |
During the Vietnam conflict, more than 1,000 Ryan “Lightning Bug” Remotely Piloted Vehicles fly 3,435 combat missions |
| 1968 |
Ryan is acquired by Teledyne Incorporated |
1973 |
Ryan develops the AQM-98A Compass Cope R High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This vehicle sets a world jet UAV record by flying 28 hours 11 minutes 12 seconds, a record that eventually is broken by the company's RQ-4A Global Hawk |
| 1996 |
Allegheny merges with Teledyne and Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical becomes an operating division of Allegheny-Teledyne Incorporated |
| 1998 |
First flight of the RQ-4A Global Hawk, a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial reconnaissance system designed to provide military field commanders with high-resolution, near real-time imagery of large geographic areas |
1999 |
Acquired by Northrop Grumman; today it is part of our Aerospace Systems sector |
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Litton Industries
A global electronics and information technology enterprise, and one of the nation's leading full-service design, engineering, construction, and life cycle supporters of major surface ships for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and international navies |
Year |
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1953 |
Charles Bates Tex Thornton founds Electro Dynamics Corporation; one month later, the company changes its name to Litton Industries after acquiring a small electron tube company from Charles Litton |
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1958 |
Lightweight inertial navigation system for aircraft becomes operational, paving the way for future success in that area |
1959 |
Installation of a groundbreaking inertial guidance device in Grumman's A-6 Intruder and E-2C Hawkeye, and Lockheed's P-3 Orion. This navigation system becomes Litton's signature product |
1960 |
Litton acquires Western Geophysical Company of America, giving the company a strong position in seismic exploration |
1961 |
Litton purchases Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, paving the way for stellar success in shipbuilding |
1964-1968 |
More than 10 Litton components are utilized on the 12 two-man flights that compose Project Gemini. The project's purpose is to test astronauts' ability to maneuver spacecraft by manual control, a vital precursor to the Apollo moon missions |
1970 |
Ingalls begins ship production in newly built modular construction facility, a method Ingalls pioneers in the U.S. Modular shipbuilding allows pre-outfitting of the interior prior to the final joining of the sections that form the hull; also this year, the company lands the largest single contract in the history of American shipbuilding $2.1 billion for 30 Navy Spruance-class destroyers |
1975-1983 |
Ingalls designs, builds and delivers 41 surface combat ships to the U.S. Navy, more than all other domestic shipyards combined |
1980s |
Litton builds Ticonderoga-class ships with Aegis weapons systems, the most advanced air defense, radar and missile system in the world at the time |
1981 |
The company becomes a major supplier of night vision goggles to the U.S. Army and law enforcement agencies |
1983 |
Litton produces its 20,000th inertial navigation system, a milestone in aviation history |
1983 |
The company creates the first laser radar used in space as part of the U.S. Department of Defense's Strategic Defense Initiative |
1990s |
Litton acquires companies to strengthen its presence in information systems, marine electronics and commercial electronics |
1999 |
The company acquires Avondale shipyard, thus strengthening its position in support vessels and shipbuilding |
2001 |
Acquired by Northrop Grumman |
2011 |
Spun off its Shipbuilding business, creating Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. |
2011 |
Today it is part of our Mission Systems sector |
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Newport News Shipbuilding
The nation's sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two companies capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines |
Year |
Event |
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1886 |
Collis P. Huntington charters the shipyard, first known as the Chesapeake Dry Dock & Construction Company
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1891 |
Newport News Shipbuilding delivers its first ship, a tugboat named Dorothy |
1897 |
Newport News delivers three warships to the U.S. Navy – Nashville, Wilmington and Helena |
1907 |
President Theodore Roosevelt sends 16 battleships on an around-the-world voyage to demonstrate United States military might; Newport News has built 7 of these ships |
1907- 1923 |
Newport News builds 6 of the Navy's 22 dreadnought warships - Delaware, Texas, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Maryland and West Virginia.; all but the first will see service in World War II |
1910 |
In the waters off Newport News, Eugene Ely successfully flies his Curtiss-Hudson plane off the cruiser Birmingham, proving the feasibility of the aircraft carrier |
1930s |
Newport News builds Yorktown and Enterprise, two of the most famous fighting ships of WW II |
1934 |
Ranger, the first ship to be designed as an aircraft carrier from the keel up, is delivered to the U.S. Navy |
1940 |
The Navy orders seven additional aircraft carriers and four cruisers from the company |
1942 |
Newport News receives the Navy’s prestigious E pennant for its tremendous contributions during the World War II and excellence in ship construction |
1952 |
Newport News builds the famous passenger liner United States, which sets a transatlantic speed record that stands today |
1954 |
Together with Westinghouse and the Navy, the company develops and builds a prototype nuclear reactor for a carrier propulsion system |
1959 |
The company launches Robert E. Lee, its first nuclear-powered Polaris ballistic missile submarine. The Shark, the company’s first nuclear-powered attack submarine, is launched early the following year. |
1960 |
Newport News partners with the Navy to design and launch the first nuclear-powered supercarrier, Enterprise, the largest, most powerful, most modern ship of all time |
1968 |
Newport News merges with Tenneco Corporation |
1970s |
The company again expands its operations, investing $250 million in the development of a new North Yard; in the new yard, Newport News builds two of the largest tankers ever constructed in the western hemisphere and also constructs three liquefied natural gas carriers |
1980s |
The shipyard turns out a variety of Navy products, including Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carriers and Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarines |
1981 |
Newport News tops the $1 billion mark in revenues for the first time |
1996 |
Tenneco initiates the spinoff of Newport News into an independent company; on December 12, 1996, Newport News begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange |
2001 |
Acquired by Northrop Grumman |
2011 |
Spun off its Shipbuilding business, creating Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. |
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TRW Incorporated
A leading developer of military and civil space systems and satellite payloads, as well as a leading global integrator of complex, mission-enabling systems and services |
Year |
Event |
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1901 |
Cleveland Cap Screw acquires rights to Thomson Electric Welding Company patents and begins production |
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1903 |
Pioneering automobile entrepreneur Alexander Winton acquires controlling shares and takes control of the newly named Electric Welding Products Company |
1915-1926 |
Under the visionary leadership of Charles E. Thompson, the company name changes to the Steel Products Company and finally to Thompson Products Inc., which makes automobile valves |
1927 |
Charles Lindbergh chooses Thompson’s sodium-cooled valves for use in the Spirit of St. Louis |
1953 |
Scientific innovators Simon Ramo and Dean Wooldridge form the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation and join forces with Thompson Products |
1953 |
The company, later called TRW, wins a contract to oversee the U.S. Air Force ICBM program |
1958 |
Pioneer 1 becomes the first spacecraft built by an industrial contractor |
1965 |
The company supplies lunar module descent engines for Apollo moon-landing missions |
1971 |
TRW designs DSCS II, a global military communications network |
1983 |
Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, becomes the first manmade object to leave the solar system |
1991 |
TRW builds the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory to collect cosmic data |
1994 |
Milstar, the next generation of military communications satellites, is launched. A TRW-led team provides the low-data-rate communications payload |
1995 |
Pioneer 6 records 30 years in space as the world's oldest operating spacecraft |
1996 |
A TRW laser shoots down a short-range rocket in flight |
1999 |
The TRW-built Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals a wealth of new discoveries, including some of the most distant objects ever seen in the universe |
2000 |
The Tactical High Energy Laser is the first system to repeatedly detect, track and destroy salvos of rockets fired in succession |
2002 |
Acquired by Northrop Grumman; today it is part of our Aerospace Systems and Mission Systems sectors |
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Other Acquisitions: 1998-2018
During this period, Northrop Grumman also added these enterprises to the company (year): |
| Inter-National Research Institute (1998) — Specialists in command and control, tracking, data fusion, and mapping for the Department of Defense; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| California Microwave Systems (1999) — Specialists in airborne reconnaissance and surveillance systems, government ground-based satellite communications systems, communications gateway systems, and mission planning; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Data Procurement Corporation (1999) — Providers of IT services and support to the Department of Defense and various intelligence agencies within the U.S. Government; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Comptek Research Incorporated (2000) — A leading supplier of electronic warfare and information dominance technologies for U.S. and international defense customers; today it is part of all sectors |
| Federal Data Corporation (2000) — A leading systems integrator and supplier of information technology to the federal government; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Sterling Software Incorporated (2000) — Provider of information technology services to the federal government's defense and intelligence agencies; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Aerojet General Corporation's Electronics and Information Systems Group (2001) — Manufacturer of spaceborne sensors for early warning systems, weather systems, and ground systems; builder of smart weapons technology for U.S. defense programs; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Fibersense Technology Corporation (2002) — Designer and manufacturer of precision fiber optic gyroscopes, inertial measurement units, and sensor components for missile, aircraft, sea, and land applications; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| XonTech (2003) — Science and technology firm specializing in missile defense, and sensor and intelligence data analysis; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Illgen Simulation Technologies (2003) — Specialist in software development and test, navigation and communications; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Integic Corporation (2005) — An information technology provider specializing in enterprise health and business process management solutions; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Essex Corporation (2007) — Provider of signal processing services and products and advanced optoelectronic imaging for U.S. government intelligence and defense customers; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Scaled Composites, LLC (2007) — An aerospace and specialty composites development company located in Mojave, Calif., with broad experience in vehicle design, tooling, and manufacturing; specialty composite structure design, analysis and fabrication; and developmental flight test; today it is a business venture that is part of the Aerospace Systems sector |
| 3001 International (2008) — Provider of geospatial data production and analysis, including airborne imaging, surveying, mapping and geographic information systems for domestic and international government intelligence, defense and civilian customers; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| M5 Network Security (2012) — Provider of a broad range of cybersecurity and other professional services to governments, large corporate entities and defense departments; today it is part of the Mission Systems sector |
| Qantas Defence Services Pty Limited (2014) — Now called Northrop Grumman Integrated Defence Services Pty Limited (IDS), a provider of integrated logistics, sustainment and modernization support primarily to Australian Government and military customers; IDS operates as a part of Northrop Grumman Australia and is strategically aligned with the Integrated Logistics and Modernization division of Northrop Grumman Technology Services |
| Orbital ATK (2018) — A global leader in affordable, reliable and innovative space, defense and flight systems that are designed to enable national security, civil government and commercial customers to achieve their critical missions; today it is part of the Innovation Systems sector |
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Northrop Grumman Heritage Advertising
To view, click on either the image or the title below (in PDF Format) |
U.S. Postal Service Commemorative Stamp Collection
Northrop Grumman Legacy Aircraft part of American Advances in Aviation
On July 29, 2005, the U.S. Postal Service issued a set of commemorative postage stamps depicting 10 classic American aircraft from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Two of the planes listed are legacy Northrop Grumman aircraft: the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing. |
F6F Hellcat  |
YB-49 Flying Wing  |
The carrier-based Grumman F6F Hellcat met with perfection the requirements that had dictated its simple and straightforward design. The robust and maneuverable fighter was easy to mass produce and maintain. |
The Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing, a futuristic experimental jet bomber, was designed by Jack Northrop in the late 1940s and was the precursor for the design of the B-2 Stealth Bomber. |
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