WASHINGTON, March 31, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) will highlight its key contributions to the nation's layered missile defense capability during the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) 6th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference and Exhibition to be held here March 31 to April 3 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.
Northrop Grumman will be located in Booth # 303 and will focus on the value of a flexible defense to guard against the global threats of tomorrow.
"The next big challenge in missile defense is to augment our initial capabilities by adding layers that can respond more flexibly to the unpredictable strategic threat," said Larry Dodgen, sector vice president and executive lead for Northrop Grumman's Missile Defense Integration Group. "To that end, investing in capabilities that foster a global, mobile, layered, and affordable approach, pursued under allied cooperation, will allow us to effectively meet the threats of tomorrow. The ability to respond to adversaries from anywhere and the flexibility to position our assets where needed will give our nation the ultimate advantage."
Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for several key missile defense programs featured in its booth that will be instrumental to realizing a global, mobile and affordable defense. They include:
-- Kinetic Energy Interceptors, a mobile missile defense system that can destroy enemy ballistic missiles in the boost and midcourse phases of flight; -- Space Tracking and Surveillance System, a satellite system that provides global capability to detect, track and discriminate ballistic missiles throughout their trajectories; -- The Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center, Colorado Springs, Colo., where nearly all missile defense tests of the operational Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) are conducted and controlled by warfighters. The center is also the site for BMDS-level modeling and simulation, ground and flight tests, analysis and operational training.
As a BMDS subcontractor, Northrop Grumman is also:
-- Providing the high-energy laser and beacon illuminator lasers for the Airborne Laser to prime contractor, The Boeing Company; -- Sustaining member of the National Team creating the Command and Control Battle Management and Communications System; -- Developing the fire control and launch control equipment software to The Boeing Company for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system.
Other features at the booth include the company's pursuit of:
-- The GMD follow-on effort. Last November, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency issued a Request for Information regarding a follow-on contract for the GMD system, and Northrop Grumman responded with concepts for continuing GMD development and sustainment. The company based its response on extensive GMD domain knowledge acquired over more than 50 years supporting alert-ready Minuteman III ICBMs and provided MDA with affordable and low-risk program alternatives. -- The U.S. Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense, Battle Command System, an Army transformational program that will establish a network-centric system-of-systems solution for integrating sensors, shooters, and battle management command, control, communications and intelligence systems (BMC4I) for Army air and missile defense.
For more information about Northrop Grumman in missile defense, go to www.northropgrumman.com/missiledefense.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 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.