RENO, Nev., Sept. 14, 2011 -- The nationwide year-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviation continued this month as Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) kicked off its sponsorship of the Tailhook '11 Reunion. The company's support for the event last weekend included sponsorship of the Chief of Naval Operations Annual Aviation Achievement Awards, the Tailhook Education Foundation, Inc., and introduction of the Northrop Grumman 2012 FLY NAVY calendar.

On Saturday, three special aviation achievement awards were presented during the Jig Dog luncheon. They were:

  • The Rear Admiral Wade McClusky Award presented to VFA-143 for meritorious achievement in air-ground delivery;
  • The Admiral Arthur Radford Award presented to VAQ-139 for meritorious operational achievement by a carrier-based tactical electronic warfare squadron;
  • The Rear Admiral Frank Akers Award presented to VAW-126 for meritorious achievement by a VAW squadron.

Presiding over the awards were Vice Adm. Al Myers; commander, Naval Air Forces, Rear Adm. Ted Branch; commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet, and Bill Schaefer; sector vice president, business development, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

"I'm honored to be a part of this event to honor these outstanding naval aviators," said Schaefer. "Our support to the Tailhook Education Foundation enables this vital nonprofit organization to provide educational scholarships to the children and grandchildren of present and former United States Navy carrier aviation personnel."

In addition to the educational scholarships, Schaefer said support to the Tailhook Education Foundation enables it to distribute the organization's magazine to schools throughout the nation at no cost to the schools, and maintain a historical research library to preserve the legacy of naval aviation.

"We very much appreciate Northrop Grumman's leadership in supporting our foundation's mission to provide educational scholarships to the children from the carrier aviation community," Rear Adm. Hamlin "Ham" Tallent, U.S. Navy (Ret). "Every child deserves an opportunity to pursue higher education and their support is invaluable."

As part of Northrop Grumman's Centennial of Naval Aviation theme this year of "Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present and Advancing the Future" the company announced it has also issued a new 2012 FLY NAVY: Celebrating the Glory of Naval Aviation calendar. It features photographs from famed aviation photographer Erik Hildebrandt, author of the 372-page coffee table photo book, FLY NAVY, sponsored by the company earlier this year.

The calendar features the first flight of Northrop Grumman's X47B Unmanned Combat Aircraft System and the first carrier landing of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aboard the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, as well as images of the MQ-4 Broad Area Maritime System Demonstrator , MQ-8B Fire Scout, C-2 Greyhound, F-5 Tiger, EA-6B Prowler, F-5 Tiger, the retired F-14 Tomcat, as well as the Navy's F/A-18F, EA-18G Growler and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

"We're honored to be the exclusive sponsor of Erik's newest project especially as the employees of Northrop Grumman continue to celebrate the first 100 years of naval aviation, and work to advance the next 100 years," Schaefer added.

To learn more about the company's support for the Centennial of Naval Aviation, please visit us online at www.northropgrumman.com/naval100 .

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: Dianne Baumert-Moyik
         (516) 754-2645
         Dianne.baumert-moyik@ngc.com