Defense Contractor
Appears in 9 stories · Last updated Nov 9, 2026
Provider of the Pegasus XL launch
LINK launched July 3 on the final Pegasus rocket and reached orbit. It never closed on Swift: the spacecraft began tumbling, and NASA and Katalyst called off the rescue in August.
Updated 3 days ago
Third of four Tranche 1 vendors; first 21 satellites launched Oct. 10; second plane of 21 planned
The Space Development Agency (SDA) launched the fourth batch of Tranche 1 data transport satellites on Oct. 10. The 21 Northrop Grumman-built spacecraft bring the total on orbit to 84 of 154 planned operational satellites.
Updated Oct 26
Developing YFQ-48A Talon Blue with company funding
Northrop Grumman's YFQ-48A Talon Blue flew itself on October 3 at Mojave, Calif., handling taxi, takeoff, in-flight maneuvers, and landing without a pilot. The company-funded drone is Northrop's answer to losing the Air Force's first Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) contract round.
Updated Oct 18
Lost F/A-XX competition to Boeing; requested a Navy debriefing
Boeing won the U.S. Navy's F/A-XX contract, its sixth-generation carrier-based fighter, in a deal worth more than $20 billion for full-scale development. Northrop Grumman, the losing bidder, has asked the Navy for a debriefing on the award.
Updated Oct 17
As of June 2026: Supplies sensor payloads for the constellation
For decades, U.S. spy satellites were a handful of expensive giants, each roughly the size of a bus and worth billions. The National Reconnaissance Office is swapping that model for a swarm of small, mass-produced spacecraft.
Updated Jun 19
As of May 2026: Primary CRS cargo provider alongside SpaceX
For more than a decade, NASA has relied on private companies to haul groceries, lab equipment, and experiments to the International Space Station — a deliberate bet that commercial logistics would be cheaper and more reliable than government-built rockets. On April 11, 2026, Northrop Grumman's enlarged Cygnus XL spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9. It delivered roughly 11,000 pounds of science cargo, including hardware for quantum physics research and therapeutic stem cell production.
Updated May 31
As of May 2026: Expanding solid rocket motor production capacity
For three decades, the Pentagon told defense contractors to consolidate. Now it's paying $1 billion to help one spin off, taking an equity stake in L3Harris's solid rocket motor business in January 2026 — the first time it has directly invested in a defense supplier. Congress passed an $838.7 billion FY2026 defense budget with $2.9 billion for munitions and industrial capacity expansion, while Raytheon announced five framework agreements to triple Tomahawk production and double AMRAAM output.
Updated May 22
As of May 2026: Strategic investor and manufacturing partner via Scaled Composites
The tube-and-wing aircraft design has dominated commercial aviation since the Boeing 707 entered service in 1958. JetZero, a Long Beach startup, just raised $175 million to challenge that 67-year-old paradigm with a blended-wing aircraft. The new design merges fuselage and wings into a single lifting surface, promising 50% fuel savings over conventional jets.
Updated May 21
As of May 2026: Stock surged 8.3% on budget proposal after initial drop on buyback ban
Trump wants to spend $1.5 trillion on defense in 2027—a jaw-dropping 66% jump from this year's $901 billion. This would be the largest single-year defense increase since the Korean War.
Updated May 19
No stories match your search
Try a different keyword
How would you like to describe your experience with the app today?
