Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman Hosts Keel Laying Ceremony for the First Ship in...

Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman Hosts Keel Laying Ceremony for the First Ship
in the Next Generation of Aircraft Carriers, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Nov. 14, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman
Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Shipbuilding sector hosted a keel laying ceremony today
for the next generation aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), in Newport
News, Va.

Photos accompanying this release are available at
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=6846 and
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=6845

Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Gerald R. Ford, served as the ship's
sponsor and keel authenticator for the ceremony. Bales authenticated the keel by
chalking her initials onto a metal plate. Her initials were then welded onto the
plate, which will be permanently affixed to the ship.

"The shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman shipyard, many of whom are second- and
third-generation shipbuilders -- everyday they bring a level of patriotism,
skill, and commitment to excellence -- that is, quite simply, without equal,"
said Bales. "When a new carrier sets to sea, her shipbuilders quietly and
proudly leave the construction site often to become a faint memory in the
history of the carrier. Let us resolve, today that this will not be the case
when the USS Gerald R. Ford sets to sea."

Other ceremony participants included principal speaker U.S. Senator Carl Levin,
(D-Mich); Corporate Vice President and President of Northrop Grumman
Shipbuilding Mike Petters; U.S. Rep. Robert "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.); U.S. Rep.
Glenn Nye (D-Va.); Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus; and Director of Naval
Nuclear Propulsion, Adm. Kirkland Donald.

"It's very fitting that our next carrier, a ship that will calm the unknown
crisis of the future by its very presence offshore, will be named for President
Gerald Ford," said Mabus. "Throughout his life, President Ford -- as a naval
officer, a Congressman, as President -- projected a calm confidence, reassuring
all those around him that all would be well. As President, he took action in the
midst of a troubled time and presided over the healing of America following the
bitter divisiveness of the previous few years. His example will live on in the
USS Gerald R. Ford to inspire generations of young Americans who will serve on
that ship."

U.S. Senator Carl Levin, the principal speaker spoke about Ford's legacy. "Not
so long ago, Gerald R. Ford was the sturdy beam who held our nation together --
the beam on which so much else depended," said Levin. "This ship will bear the
name of a man who assumed our nation's highest office at a time of great anguish
and confusion, a time of great distress and doubt...At a time of great danger,
Gerry Ford took the helm. At a time of instability, Gerry Ford kept our country
on an even keel."

"Aircraft carriers should remain the cornerstone of our future defense planning.
No other platform has been as effective in enabling the United States to project
power and protect our interests around the globe," said Nye.

Petters paid special tribute to the men and women who build aircraft carriers.
"Integrity, commitment, steadfastness, honesty and uncompromising ethics.These
are the qualities we will model as we take steel, electronics and millions of
components, to create a fitting tribute and living testament to a president who
took a country in need and in pain and provided a much needed sense of calm and
unity," said Petters. "We are shipbuilders, this is our duty, our obligation, a
job we take very seriously, and one we are honored to perform."

Named after the 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is
the first ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class. The Ford class will continue the
legacy of highly capable U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ship
platforms. Enhancements incorporated into the design include flight deck
changes, improved weapons handling systems, and a redesigned island, all
resulting in increased aircraft sortie rates. It will also include new nuclear
power plants; increased electrical power generation capacity; allowance for
future technologies; and reduced workload for the sailors, translating to a
smaller crew size and reduced operating costs for the Navy. Delivery to the Navy
is scheduled for 2015.

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: Jennifer Dellapenta
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding
(757) 380-3558
Jennifer.Dellapenta@ngc.com