Thanks Randy. And thanks everybody for attending. And thanks for allowing us the opportunity to discuss what logistics sustainment and modernization means to Northrop Grumman. As a former Air Force maintenance officer, being in the Air Force for 20 years and having deployed overseas, I fully appreciate how important logistics sustainment and modernization is to our customers, allowing them to complete their missions.
As Randy mentioned, a full 70 percent of the lifecycle cost of a military weapons system, or a piece of military hardware or capability is post-production. It's in logistics, sustainment and modernization. So we feel that's a very good business for us. What we're focused on is that part of logistics where we can apply the decades of experience Northrop Grumman has in designing, developing, building, maintaining and upgrading military equipment.
So we feel we have the level of expertise and capability required to provide the solutions that our customers need. You know, given the global security environment, we feel there will be operations ongoing throughout the world. And, if you look at those military, both U.S. and our coalition partners, the equipment tends to be rather old. And, given the constrained economic environment, it's very difficult for these customers to buy new equipment. So we feel that sustaining, upgrading the modernization military equipment, you know, both that which is developed and built by Northrop Grumman, and that which is not built by Northrop Grumman but is in use with our customers, that's a very good market to be in.
And, as Randy mentioned, the company is focused on four pillars: unmanned systems, C4ISR, cyber and logistics. Logistics is an enabler for the other three pillars to be successful. Having robust sustainment and logistics environments for all of the capability we have in the other three pillars is critical. So, what you're going to hear today is a discussion of what logistics means to Northrop Grumman.
So we'll start with looking at the design and development of systems and how we think about logistics early in the lifecycle. And then talk about logistics and sustainment for our products after the product is fielded, and how we make sure that the product operates correctively and effectively. We'll talk about innovation for affordability and logistics, and then talk about sustainment and modernization, so how we upgrade this equipment and make sure it stays relevant.