Competition record
Northrop Grumman
Deep profile · 0 linked library matters
Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor for the B-21 bomber and the Sentinel intercontinental missile, plus space and radar systems. Once those programs are awarded, the government depends on Northrop's production rate and on the subcontractors Northrop chooses.
Overview
Northrop Grumman is based in Falls Church, Virginia. The B-21 Raider and the Sentinel ground-based deterrent are decade-scale programs with no second prime in production, which is how strategic systems are usually bought.
Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing, and General Dynamics compete with Northrop when a program is still being bid, and they often become subcontractors after Northrop wins. Mission systems, satellites, and radars are the other portfolios, each tied to a classified or restricted customer set.
Subcontractor flow-down decides which suppliers get the work under those primes. A second source, if the government wants one, has to be written into the program early, because the tooling and the security infrastructure do not appear later.
Competition footprint
B-21 production rate is set by the Air Force and by Northrop's tooling and supplier base.
Sentinel development and test milestones determine when a new land-based missile actually replaces the old one.
Space and radar programs are restricted competitions with a short list of cleared primes.
Consumer & business angle
The Air Force's bomber fleet plan depends on how many B-21s Northrop can build per year.
Suppliers under those programs depend on Northrop's flow-down terms for work they cannot bid direct.
What to watch
- B-21 production-rate decisions and any move to second-source a subsystem.
- Sentinel schedule and which suppliers are locked in for the life of the missile.
Markets
strategic bombers · missile defense · military space
Also known as: northrop, northrop grumman
Conduct themes
Linked cases in the library
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