Company:Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems

Short description: American aerospace and defense company

Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems

Type	Operating Division
Industry	Space industry Aerospace industry Defense industry
Fate	Renamed
Predecessors	Alliant Techsystems Orbital Sciences Corporation
Successor	Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Founded	February 9, 2015 (2015-02-09) (as Orbital ATK) June 5, 2018 (2018-06-05) (as Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems)
Defunct	January 1, 2020
Headquarters	Dulles, Virginia , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	David W. Thompson (President and CEO) Blake E. Larson (COO) Garrett E. Pierce (CFO) Antonio L. Elias (CTO)
Products	Electronics, Rocket engines, Military vehicles, Firearms, Autocannons, Missiles, Ammunition, Precision-guided munitions, Satellites, Missile approach warning systems, Launch vehicles, Spacecraft
Revenue	US$4.455 billion (2016)
Net income	US$293 million (2016)
Total assets	US$5.418 billion (2016)
Total equity	US$1.817 billion (2016)
Number of employees	~12,500 (2016)

Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS) was a sector (business segment) of Northrop Grumman from 2018 through 2019. It was formed from Orbital ATK Inc. a company which resulted from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and parts of Alliant Techsystems in 2015. Orbital ATK was purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2018. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems designed, built, and delivered space, defense, and aviation-related systems to customers around the world both as a prime contractor and as a merchant supplier. It had a workforce of approximately 12,000 employees dedicated to aerospace and defense including about 4,000 engineers and scientists; 7,000 manufacturing and operations specialists; and 1,000 management and administration personnel. With Northrop Grumman's reorganization of its divisions effective January 1, 2020, NGIS was split, with most of the sector merging with other Northrop Grumman businesses into a new Space Systems sector.

History

Former logo of Orbital ATK, the company's original name following the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and the supoff aerospace division of Alliant Techsystems.

A merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and the defense and aerospace divisions of Alliant Techsystems (ATK) was announced on April 29, 2014. The two companies had collaborated on several previous projects, including the use of 400 ATK rocket motors in Orbital's launch vehicles. The deal officially closed on February 9, 2015. ATK's sporting-goods division spun off to form Vista Outdoor on the same day.

On September 18, 2017, Northrop Grumman announced plans to purchase Orbital ATK for US$7.8 billion in cash plus assumption of US$1.4 billion in debt. Orbital ATK shareholders approved the buyout on November 29, 2017. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved the acquisition with conditions on June 5, 2018, and on June 6, 2018, Orbital ATK was absorbed and became Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems.

Organization

Flight Systems Group

Based in Chandler, Arizona, the Flight Systems Group includes the Pegasus, Minotaur, and Antares launch vehicles as well as solid-propulsion and aerostructures programs. The company also operates a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar wide body jetliner, which is named Stargazer and is used to air launch Pegasus rockets carrying payloads into space. The Stargazer aircraft is also used for testing under specific programs. The Flight Systems Group became part of Northrop Grumman Space Systems on January 1, 2020.

Defense Systems Group

The Defense Systems Group, based in the Baltimore, Maryland area, produces tactical missiles, defense electronics, and medium- and large-caliber ammunition. The division also produces fuzing and warheads for both tactical missiles and munitions; precision metal and composite structures for medium and large-caliber ammunition, military aircraft, ground vehicles, and missile systems; load, assembly, and pack (LAP) of medium caliber munitions; and propellants and powders for the canister and commercial markets. The Defense Systems Group became part of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems on January 1, 2020.

Space Systems Group

Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group provides satellites for commercial, scientific, and security purposes. This group also produces the Cygnus spacecraft, which delivers cargo to the International Space Station. The group is based at the company's headquarters on Warp Drive in Dulles, Virginia. The Space Systems Group became part of Northrop Grumman Space Systems on January 1, 2020.

Products

Rockets

2016 Oshkosh L-ATV (configured as a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) equipped with EOS R-400S-MK2 remote weapon system integrated with Orbital ATK's M230-LF 30 mm lightweight automatic chain gun.

A product of Orbital ATK: The machine cannon M242 Bushmaster as standard armament of the infantry fighting vehicle M2 Bradley. Orbital ATK holds a trademark on the term "chain gun".

• Antares, two- or three-stage medium-lift expendable launch vehicle
• Minotaur I, four-stage small-lift expendable launch vehicle
• Minotaur IV, four-stage small-lift expendable launch vehicle
• Minotaur V, five-stage launch vehicle used for geosynchronous transfer orbits and trans-lunar orbits
• Minotaur VI, five-stage medium-lift expendable launch vehicle
• Minotaur-C, four-stage small-lift expendable launch vehicle
• Pegasus, air-launched four-stage small-lift launch vehicle
• OmegA, A cancelled medium to heavy lift launch vehicle.

Rocket engines

• GEM-40, solid rocket booster used on the Delta II rocket
• GEM-60, solid rocket booster used on the Delta IV rocket
• GEM-63, solid rocket booster used on the Atlas V rocket
• GEM-63XL, solid rocket booster planned to be used on the Vulcan rocket
• Castor 4, solid rocket used on the Maxus sounding rocket
• Castor 30, solid rocket used on the Antares rocket
• Castor 120, solid rocket used on the Minotaur-C rocket
• Space Launch System Solid Rocket Booster, based on the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster

Spacecraft

The spacecraft Cygnus transporting cargo to the ISS on behalf of NASA.

• Al Yah 3, communications satellite for Al Yah Satellite Communications
• HYLAS-4, communications satellite for Avanti Communications
• SES-16, communications satellite for SES S.A.
• Landsat 9, environmental satellite for NASA and United States Geological Survey (USGS)
• JPSS-2, weather and environmental satellite for NASA and NOAA
• ICESat-2, ice-topography satellite for NASA
• Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), space telescope for NASA
• Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICE), science mission for NASA
• Cygnus, automated cargo spacecraft to supply the ISS
• Dawn, space probe for NASA currently in decaying orbit around Ceres

Munitions

• Mk310 PABM-T air burst rounds for MK44.

Firearms

• XM25 CDTE, an airburst grenade launcher.

See also

• Northrop Grumman business sectors
• Thiokol