Northrop Grumman Company Profile, Products, Employees and Revenue
Northrop Grumman is an American aerospace and defense company headquartered in West Falls Church, Virginia, best known for the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, space systems and military electronics. It reported sales of about $42.0 billion for 2025 and employed roughly 95,000 people at the end of that year.
The company works in four segments: Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems and Space Systems. Its main customer is the US government, above all the Department of the Air Force, Navy and Space Force. Backlog reached a record $104.7 billion at 30 June 2026, and the company raised its 2026 sales guidance to $43.75 billion to $44.25 billion in July.
What Does Northrop Grumman Do?
Northrop Grumman designs and builds military aircraft, missiles, satellites, radars, electronic warfare systems, autonomous vehicles and command-and-control software. It is one of the largest US defense primes, alongside Lockheed Martin, RTX, Boeing and General Dynamics. Its work ranges from the flying-wing B-21 bomber to solid rocket motors, which it took on with the 2018 purchase of Orbital ATK.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | West Falls Church, Virginia |
| Formed | 1994, merger of Northrop Corporation and Grumman Aerospace |
| Employees | About 95,000 (31 December 2025) |
| Sales | $41.95 billion (2025) |
| Net earnings | $4.18 billion (2025) |
| Chair, CEO and President | Kathy J. Warden |
| Segments | Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems, Space Systems |
| Known programmes | B-21 Raider, LGM-35A Sentinel, MQ-4C Triton, F-35 components, Cygnus, James Webb Space Telescope |
How Many Employees Does Northrop Grumman Have?
Northrop Grumman reported approximately 95,000 employees as of 31 December 2025, according to its annual report on Form 10-K. Most work in the United States. The B-21 is built at Palmdale, California. The sources reviewed here do not break headcount down by segment or country.
What Are Northrop Grumman’s Four Business Segments?
| Segment | Focus | 2025 sales |
|---|---|---|
| Aeronautics Systems | B-21 Raider, B-2, F-35 center fuselage, E-2D and Triton airframes | $12.99B |
| Mission Systems | Radars including the F-35 AN/APG-81, electronic warfare, navigation, maritime systems | $12.51B |
| Space Systems | Satellites, launch vehicles, Cygnus, solid rocket motors, space sensors | $10.77B |
| Defense Systems | Sentinel ICBM, missiles, weapons, sustainment, command and control | $8.00B |
Aeronautics is the largest segment by sales. Space Systems was the only segment to decline in 2025, falling 8% from 2024, while Mission Systems grew 10% and Defense Systems 8%.
What Are Northrop Grumman’s Main Products?
The B-21 Raider is the company’s flagship. In its 2025 results the company recorded a $477 million loss provision on the low-rate initial production phase in the first quarter of that year.
The LGM-35A Sentinel is the planned replacement for the Minuteman III ICBM. The programme went through a Nunn-McCurdy breach review in 2024 and was restructured and was restructured. Northrop said it received a $7.6 billion Sentinel award in the second quarter of 2026.
Other lines include the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance drone, the Cygnus cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station, and solid rocket motors. On the F-35, Northrop builds the center fuselage and supplies the AN/APG-81 radar; see our F-35 specs and operators guide for the wider programme.
Northrop Grumman Revenue and Financial Results
| Period | Sales | Net earnings | Backlog |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full year 2024 | $41.03B | $4.17B | $91.5B |
| Full year 2025 | $41.95B | $4.18B | $95.7B |
| Q2 2026 | $10.9B | $1.09B | $104.7B |
| First half 2026 | $20.76B | $1.97B | $104.7B |
Sales in the second quarter of 2026 rose 5% from a year earlier, with Aeronautics Systems up 13% to $3.52 billion; the company said B-21 volume on restricted programmes was a main driver. Net awards were $20.0 billion. Adjusted free cash flow for the first half was negative $845 million, and the company guided to $3.1 billion to $3.5 billion for the full year. Guidance is a company forecast, not a result.
Northrop Grumman History Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1929 | Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation established |
| 1939 | Northrop Corporation founded |
| 1994 | Northrop and Grumman merge to form Northrop Grumman |
| 2001 | Acquires Litton Industries |
| 2002 | Acquires TRW |
| 2018 | Completes acquisition of Orbital ATK, adding solid rocket motors and Cygnus |
| 2025 | Sales of about $42.0 billion; record backlog of $95.7 billion at year end |
| 2026 | Backlog reaches $104.7 billion at 30 June; B-21 production expansion agreed |
Recent Northrop Grumman Contracts and Developments
Recent coverage on this site shows how broad the portfolio is. Northrop delivered 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency network, as covered in our report on the SDA transport layer deliveries. It won an $18.8 million Army contract for the XRC ramjet counter-drone missile, and a $37 million contract change for the F-16 IVEWS electronic warfare suite.
Northrop is also a supplier and competitor in the bomber and fighter arena. Our story on the B-2 and B-52 launcher drive unit remanufacture touches its older bomber, and the Air Force’s fighter choices are covered in Boeing F-47 NGAD test production.
Northrop Grumman FAQ
Where is Northrop Grumman headquartered?
In West Falls Church, Virginia.
How many employees does Northrop Grumman have?
About 95,000 as of 31 December 2025, according to its Form 10-K.
What was Northrop Grumman’s revenue in 2025?
$41.95 billion, up 2% from $41.03 billion in 2024.
Who is the CEO of Northrop Grumman?
Kathy J. Warden is chair, chief executive officer and president.
What are Northrop Grumman’s four segments?
Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems and Space Systems.
What is Northrop Grumman best known for?
The B-21 Raider stealth bomber, the Sentinel ICBM, the MQ-4C Triton, space systems and solid rocket motors.
When was Northrop Grumman founded?
It was formed in 1994 by the merger of Northrop Corporation (founded 1939) and Grumman Aerospace.
What is Northrop Grumman’s backlog?
A record $104.7 billion at 30 June 2026, up from $95.7 billion at the end of 2025.
- Northrop Grumman second-quarter 2026 earnings release (Form 8-K, 21 July 2026): sec.gov
- Northrop Grumman fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings release: sec.gov
- Northrop Grumman Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (employee count): sec.gov
- Wikipedia – Northrop Grumman: wikipedia.org
- Air Force and trade reporting on B-21 production expansion (February 2026) and Sentinel restructure (Air Force, 17 February 2026)
