# Northrop Grumman (DD-604) > Northrop Grumman is a US aerospace and defense company based in Falls Church, Virginia. Its 2025 annual report (Form 10-K) says the company began in 1939 in Hawthorne, California, as Northrop Aircraft Incorporated, founded by Jack Northrop. Northrop Corporation was a principal developer of flying-wing designs, which, according to the company's heritage page, led to the B-2 stealth bomber. In 1994 it acquired the Grumman Corporation, which built the Apollo Lunar Module, and the combined company was renamed Northrop Grumman. The heritage page lists more than 20 companies it has since absorbed, including Westinghouse's defense electronics business (1996), Litton (2001), TRW (2002), Scaled Composites (2007) and Orbital ATK (2018). The 10-K reports 2025 sales of $41.954 billion, about 84% of them to the US government, and about 95,000 employees. It lists the B-21 Raider long-range strike bomber for the US Air Force and support for the B-2 Spirit among its key programs. For NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, launched on December 25, 2021, Northrop Grumman was the prime contractor. It designed and built the deployable sunshield, provided the spacecraft and integrated the whole observatory. NASA describes the sunshield as five layers of Kapton coated with reflective metal, each thinner than a human hair, about the size of a tennis court. The Reel uses company footage, including a hangar with aircraft, a holographic globe, an underwater drone, a cleanroom and a satellite. - Department: Military (also Tech, Space) - First published: 2025-06-27 - Last updated: 2025-06-27 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/northrop-grumman/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **1939**: Jack Northrop founds Northrop Aircraft in Hawthorne, California - **1994**: Northrop acquires Grumman and becomes Northrop Grumman - **2018**: Northrop Grumman acquires Orbital ATK - **Dec. 25, 2021**: The James Webb Space Telescope launches with Northrop Grumman's sunshield Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=northrop-grumman ## Quick facts - **DD-604-F01**: Northrop Grumman began as Northrop Aircraft in 1939. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Started as Northrop))_ - **DD-604-F02**: Northrop Grumman built the Webb telescope's sunshield. _(Write-up · Exhibit E (Webb's sunshield))_ ## Write-up From flying wings to Webb's sunshield. Founded in 1939, merged with Grumman in 1994. 1. **Started as Northrop**: The company began in 1939 as Northrop Aircraft in Hawthorne, California. 2. **Plus Grumman**: In 1994 Northrop acquired Grumman, builder of the Lunar Module, and took the combined name. 3. **Flying wings**: Northrop's flying-wing work led to the B-2 stealth bomber; the B-21 Raider is its successor program. 4. **By the numbers**: 2025 sales were about $42 billion, roughly 84% to the US government, with about 95,000 employees. 5. **Webb's sunshield**: As Webb's prime contractor, it designed and built the five-layer sunshield. ## Related case files - [Anduril (DD-727)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/anduril/): Another US defense company - [B52 Stratofortress (DD-708)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/b52-stratofortress/): Another US Air Force bomber case - [2-Billion Dollar B=2 (DD-295)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/2-billion-dollar-b2/): I linked the company that builds it - [Lunar Roving (DD-609)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/lunar-roving/): Grumman built the Apollo Lunar Module that carried the rover - [Raytheon (DD-621)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/raytheon/): I paired it with another major US defense contractor ## Reel vs. record - **Note**: 'Founded in 1939': Northrop Aircraft was founded in 1939. Northrop Grumman itself formed in 1994, when Northrop acquired Grumman. - **Note**: 'Radar-evading materials': Northrop's flying-wing and stealth work led to the B-2 bomber, and it now builds the B-21 Raider. The company doesn't detail its stealth materials publicly. - **Note**: 'James Webb Space Telescope's sunshield': yes, and more. Northrop Grumman was Webb's prime contractor: it designed and built the sunshield, provided the spacecraft and integrated the whole observatory. - **Note**: 'Systems for air, land, and sea': and space. The 2018 acquisition of Orbital ATK added rockets and satellites, and the US government accounts for about 84% of sales. - **Missing**: the company is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, and reported about $42 billion in 2025 sales and about 95,000 employees. ## Video: Northrop Grumman: From Flying Wings to Webb's Sunshield - Duration: 17.4 s · Published: 2025-06-27 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DLaVxt8xfQH.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? Northrop Grumman a global aerospace and defense leader, specializes in advanced technology systems. Founded in 1939, it designs cutting-edge platforms and autonomous systems for air, land, and sea. Its innovations include radar-evading materials and space technologies, such as the James Webb Space Telescope's sunshield. NOW YOU KNOW! ## Questions & answers **Q: When was Northrop Aircraft founded?** A: In Hawthorne, California. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Started as Northrop) · Northrop Grumman Form 10-K for 2025 (SEC); Northrop Grumman: Our heritage)_ **Q: Which company merged with Northrop in 1994?** A: The combined company became Northrop Grumman. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Started as Northrop) · Northrop Grumman Form 10-K for 2025 (SEC); Northrop Grumman: Our heritage)_ **Q: Which Apollo craft did Grumman build?** A: Per Northrop Grumman's heritage page. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Started as Northrop) · Northrop Grumman Form 10-K for 2025 (SEC); Northrop Grumman: Our heritage)_ **Q: What did Northrop Grumman build for the Webb telescope?** A: And the spacecraft, as prime contractor. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Plus Grumman) · Northrop Grumman Form 10-K for 2025 (SEC); Northrop Grumman: Our heritage)_ **Q: How many layers does Webb's sunshield have?** A: Each thinner than a human hair. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Plus Grumman) · Northrop Grumman Form 10-K for 2025 (SEC); Northrop Grumman: Our heritage)_ ## Sources - [Northrop Grumman Form 10-K for 2025 (SEC)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1133421/000113342126000003/noc-20251231.htm) - [Northrop Grumman: Our heritage](https://www.northropgrumman.com/who-we-are/northrop-grumman-heritage) - [Northrop Grumman: James Webb Space Telescope](https://www.northropgrumman.com/what-we-do/space/spacecraft/webb-telescope) - [NASA Science: Webb's sunshield](https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/webbs-sunshield/) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Northrop Grumman." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-604, last updated Jun 27, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/northrop-grumman/