LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2010 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) employees and project teams were recognized for their outstanding contributions in 2009 by the San Fernando Valley, Calif.-based Engineers' Council, an independent non-profit group dedicated to advancing the art and science of engineering that provides public recognition of engineering achievements.

"Northrop Grumman applauds these exceptional employees and their outstanding accomplishments," said Paul Russell, vice president of engineering and manufacturing for the western region of Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. "These professionals are an asset to our company, and we value their commitment and dedication to advancing our technologies for the benefit of our government and commercial customers."

"The achievements of these engineers highlight the ongoing commitment and dedication of our employees within our engineering organization as a whole," said John Daegele, vice president of Systems Engineering, Integration and Test for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "It is the drive of our individuals and the collective collaboration of our engineering teams that define best practices throughout a product's lifecycle as well as integrate that knowledge into the success of future programs."

At a Feb. 20 banquet celebrating National Engineers Week (Feb. 14-20), the Engineers' Council presented awards to the following employees:

  • Daniel Tazartes, director of advanced technology for Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division, part of the company's Electronic Systems sector, was recognized as Engineer of the Year for "significant contributions to the advancement of inertial/GPS navigation systems and technologies as well as his dedication to sharing knowledge and skills with the next generation of engineers."
  • Neal Dahlen, a technical director at Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division, received a Distinguished Engineering Achievement Award for "contributions in the field of inertial systems engineering and for the design, demonstration, and application of inertial navigation systems leveraging novel technologies."
  • Ronald Gibb, F-5/T-38 systems engineering, integration and test lead for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector, received a Distinguished Engineering Achievement Award for "major contributions to the science and engineering of multi-sensor integrated inertial navigation system that are of significant benefit to the United States military and security of the nation."
  • Douglas Meyer, director of advanced sensor development for Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division, received a Distinguished Engineering Achievement Award for "outstanding and continuing contributions to the development of advanced sensors enabling new capabilities serving both military and commercial applications."
  • Donald Murray, a flight test engineer for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector, received a Distinguished Engineering Achievement Award for "unsurpassed knowledge and consistently accurate testing of aircraft."
  • Robert Hall and Preston Watterson of Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector won Outstanding Engineer awards for "exemplary strides in engineering of B-2 Long Range Strike Upgrade programs."

Fourteen Northrop Grumman-led teams were also honored with Distinguished Project awards for exemplary work:

  • James Webb Space Telescope cryogenic magnetic dampers
  • Global Hawk flight control actuators
  • Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle inertial measurement unit instrument isolator design
  • Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite
  • NASA Global Hawk first flight
  • Engineering resources integration and management tool
  • National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System environmental product algorithms
  • Common Gyro Reference Assembly
  • Joint High Power Solid State Laser phase 3
  • Global Hawk mechanical plug and play
  • Max launch abort system flight demo vehicles structures and mechanisms
  • B-2 aircraft instrumentation
  • EuroHawk airworthiness stress report
  • Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial system mission control system core architecture development

The Engineers' Council's Honors and Awards Banquet is one of the largest celebrations of National Engineers Week in the nation. National Engineers Week was established in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers to help ensure a diverse, well-educated engineering workforce by increasing the understanding of, and interest in, engineering and technology careers among young students. It also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers' contributions to society.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. 

  CONTACT: Gina Piellusch
         Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems
         (818) 715-2285
         gina.piellusch@ngc.com
         
         Kimberly Prato
         Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
         (858) 618-4405
         kimberly.prato@ngc.com