Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman Begins Producing First International F-35 Joint...

Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman Begins Producing First International F-35
Joint Strike Fighter

PALMDALE, Calif., Oct. 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation
(NYSE:NOC) has begun producing the center fuselage for the first international
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, an F-35B short take off, vertical landing (STOVL)
variant for the United Kingdom designated BK-1. The center fuselage is the core
structure around which the F-35 aircraft is built.

A photo accompanying this release is available at
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/

The assembly process began Oct. 26 at the company's Palmdale Manufacturing
Center with the loading of an all-composite air inlet duct into a special
tooling structure called a jig. This first assembly process, one of
approximately 18 major steps in assembling an F-35 center fuselage, consists of
attaching metal frames around the duct. The frames serve to brace and position
the duct properly within the center fuselage.

"Jig loading the BK-1 center fuselage for the United Kingdom's first F-35
demonstrates that the program is delivering on its promise to produce a fifth
generation, multi-role fighter that meets the common air combat requirements of
the U.S. and its allies," said Mark Tucker, vice president and F-35 program
manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "Through a disciplined
approach to managing costs and engineering changes, we're continuing to reduce
program risks, which will help the F-35 industry team put jets on the ramp on or
before the initial operational need dates of our international partners."

Tucker noted that the company had started assembling the BK-1 center fuselage
three days sooner than the date indicated by the F-35 program's master schedule.

Northrop Grumman is a principal and founding member of the F-35 industry team
led by Lockheed Martin. To date, the company has delivered 25 center fuselages
-- 19 for the system development and demonstration phase, six for the low rate
initial production (LRIP) phases of the program. BK-1 is being produced as part
of LRIP3. The program is scheduled to produce 138 F-35Bs for the United Kingdom.

Final assembly of all F-35 jets is performed by Lockheed Martin at a facility in
Fort Worth, Texas. The process includes mating a Northrop Grumman-built center
fuselage to an aft fuselage produced by BAE Systems, and the forward
fuselage/cockpit and wings produced by Lockheed Martin.

Northrop Grumman is responsible for the design and production of center
fuselages for all three variants of F-35 aircraft: conventional takeoff and
landing; short takeoff, vertical landing; and the carrier variant. The F-35
Lightning II program expects to build more than 3,100 aircraft.

As a member of the F-35 global industry team, Northrop Grumman is central to the
development, production and support of the F-35 Lightning II. The company
designed and produces the aircraft's center fuselage, radar and other key
avionics including electro-optical and communications subsystems; develops
mission systems and mission-planning software; leads the team's development of
pilot and maintenance training system courseware; and manages the team's use,
support and maintenance of low-observable technologies.

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.

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CONTACT: Brooks McKinney, APR
Northrop Grumman Corporation
(310) 331-6610
(310) 864-3785 mobile
brooks.mckinney@ngc.com

Ken Beedle
Northrop Grumman Corporation (London)
+44 (0) 207 747 1910
+44 (0) 7787 174092
Ken.beedle@euro.ngc.com