EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 17, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) observed another milestone in its continuing production work on the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet by delivering the 200th center/aft fuselage section to The Boeing Company, the F/A-18 prime contractor. The Super Hornet is the United States' newest and most advanced fighter/attack aircraft.
Several hundred employees gathered for a ceremony on May 14 at Northrop Grumman's facility in El Segundo, where its Integrated Systems sector assembles the F/A-18's center/aft fuselage and twin vertical tails, and integrates all major subsystems as Boeing's principal subcontractor.
The Super Hornet was introduced into the Navy fleet in the summer of 2000 and flew its first combat mission over Afghanistan in November 2002. The Super Hornet was also used in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"Navy pilots who fly the Super Hornet are counting on us," said Corey S. Moore, Northrop Grumman vice president and F/A-18 program manager, who spoke at the ceremony. "The quality products we deliver protect the lives of our men and women in combat, and that's something our employees keep in mind every day."
The F/A-18 program accounts for more than 1,200 jobs at Northrop Grumman in El Segundo and approximately 9,500 additional jobs at nearly 750 other companies in California. It also generates more than $900 million in annual revenue for these businesses.
In addition to assembling the center/aft fuselage structure, Northrop Grumman integrates subsystems such as hydraulic, fuel and environmental control into its portion of the aircraft. The company sends the completed fuselage "shipsets" to Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems facility in St. Louis, Mo., for final assembly.
Northrop Grumman has been working on the F/A-18 since the program began in the 1970s. Its work for Boeing is expected to continue into the next decade on the Super Hornet and the EA-18G, an electronic attack aircraft based on the F/A-18. Including the latest Super Hornet, Northrop Grumman has delivered a total of 1,679 shipsets.
Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is a premier aerospace and defense systems integration enterprise. Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., it designs, develops, produces and supports network-enabled integrated systems and subsystems for government and civil customers worldwide. Integrated Systems delivers best-value solutions, products and services that support military missions in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; space access; battle management command and control; and integrated strike warfare.
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