WASHINGTON, March 22, 2012 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) will highlight its key capabilities for the nation's missile defense systems during the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) 10 th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference Exhibition to be held here March 26 to 28 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

Conference attendees can participate in a wargame, developed by Northrop Grumman under the direction of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), to better understand the concept of operations for future Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) capabilities.

"The essential capabilities we demonstrated in 2011 are advancing the country's layered missile defense system," said Kevin Campbell, vice president and executive lead for Northrop Grumman's Missile Defense Integration Group. "Northrop Grumman continues to build upon those successes as we deliver increasing capabilities to the warfighter."

Northrop Grumman will be located in Booth #231 and will focus on the value of a flexible defense to guard against the global threats of tomorrow.

In its conference displays and information, Northrop Grumman is featuring key missile defense programs that will continue to be instrumental to realizing an integrated, layered BMDS. The company's large-scale, system-of-systems capabilities crucial to BMDS integration include:

  • Since 1995, Northrop Grumman has been the prime contractor at the Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center (MDIOC) under the Joint National Integration Center Research and Development Contract. The MDIOC is the U.S. Department of Defense's premier missile defense center for integration, deployment and operation of the nation's BMDS. Northrop Grumman has led a world-class team to conduct BMDS-level modeling and simulation, ground and flight tests, wargames, exercises, mission-critical operation and related analysis.
  • Northrop Grumman is a key developer of the command-and-control, battle-management and communications capability for the BMDS.
  • Northrop Grumman provides the critical Fire Control/Communications System for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, which remains the nation's only defense against long-range ballistic missile threats.

The company is also showcasing its sensor capabilities:

  • The two Space Tracking and Surveillance System demonstration satellites, each with a pair of infrared sensors, showed in 2011 that ballistic missiles could be tracked through all phases of flight from space. Their tracking data has been integrated into the BMDS to close the fire control loop.
  • For more than four decades, Northrop Grumman has been a trusted overhead persistent infrared partner to the Defense Department through developing, delivering and operating payloads, fully integrated space vehicles and ground segments to protect our nation and allies.
  • The RQ-4 family of unmanned aircraft with the Airborne Integrated Missile Sensing (AIMS) system can provide an affordable and effective regional airborne ballistic missile defense warning and tracking capability that is globally deployed, on-demand, to support the AirSea Battle concept in the Western Pacific.
  • The AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System is a high resolution omni-directional infrared sensor system that provides advanced spherical situational awareness capability, including missile and aircraft detection, track and warning capabilities for the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter.
  • The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is the cornerstone of the U.S. Navy's theater air and missile defense architecture in the littorals, overland and open sea. With 360-degree automatic, simultaneous air and sea surface radar detection, the Advanced Hawkeye is critical to keeping U.S. carrier groups safe from incoming threats.

In addition, the company's senior executives will also lead conference sessions with the MDA:

  • Doug Young, vice president of missile defense and warning for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems as co-chair of a panel on sensors, and
  • Kelley Zelickson, vice president of air and missile defense systems for Northrop Grumman Information Systems as co-chair of the integration/operation and test and evaluation panel.

For more information about Northrop Grumman in missile defense, go to www.northropgrumman.com/missiledefense .

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information. 

  CONTACT: Sudi Bruni
         (858) 592-3407
         sudi.bruni@ngc.com