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Northrop Grumman Awards Contracts to International Suppliers for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Radar Components

BALTIMORE, Nov. 16, 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation has awarded contracts to Canadian and Australian firms for components that will go into the next-generation radar that the company has developed for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Dy 4 Systems of Kanata, Ontario, Canada, will supply the data processor for the AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array radar. Housed on a single-board computer, the processor performs functions similar to those of a personal computer but is ruggedized to withstand the demanding environment of an aircraft.

Cablex Pty. Ltd. of East Bentleigh, Victoria, Australia, will provide semi-rigid radio frequency cables that will enable communication between the radar and other elements of the F-35's avionics.

"These awards reflect Northrop Grumman's commitment to the international defense community," said Bob DuBeau, vice president of Combat Avionics Systems at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. "We're selecting best-value suppliers based in the eight partner countries that have joined the unprecedented global effort to develop the F-35."

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is a stealthy, supersonic multi-role fighter designed to replace a wide range of aging fighter and strike aircraft, including the AV-8B Harrier, A-10, F-16, F/A-18, and the United Kingdom's Harrier GR.7 and Sea Harrier. Three variants derived from a common design will ensure that the F-35 meets the performance needs of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps as well as allied defense forces worldwide-while also meeting strict affordability requirements.

As a principal teammate of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman is responsible for producing more than 25 percent of the F-35 weapon system. The company's contribution ranges from integrating a major section of the aircraft's structure to producing key subsystems such as communications and avionics, and developing software for mission planning.

In addition to Electronic Systems, three other Northrop Grumman sectors support the F-35 program: the Integrated Systems sector is responsible for detailed design and integration of the F-35 center fuselage and weapons bay, systems engineering and development of a major portion of mission systems software; the Mission Systems sector provides system and software engineering support for the mission planning system; and the Space Technology sector provides the integrated communications, navigation and identification avionics suite.

Northrop Grumman's Baltimore-based Electronic Systems sector is a world leader in the design, development, and manufacture of defense and commercial electronic systems and sensors, including airborne radar, navigation systems, electronic countermeasures, precision weapons, airspace management systems, communications systems, space sensors, marine and naval systems, government systems and logistics services.

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CONTACT:  Doug Cantwell
          Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems 
          (410) 765-9332 (office)
          (410) 979-3647 (mobile)
          douglas.cantwell@ngc.com