Northrop Grumman Space Systems

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Northrop Grumman Space Systems
legal form Incorporated
founding 2015
Seat United StatesUnited States Dulles , Virginia
management David W. Thompson
Branch Space travel
Website northropgrumman.com

Spaceship Cygnus, used by NASA to carry out cargo supply flights to the ISS .
First flight of the Antares
The Stargazer, a Lockheed Tristar converted by Orbital into a launch aircraft for rockets, launching a Pegasus rocket
The M242 Bushmaster automatic cannon as the standard armament of the M2 Bradley armored personnel carrier

Northrop Grumman Space Systems (formerly Northrop Grumman innovation system , before Orbital ATK ) is an American aerospace - Armor - and air carriers based in Dulles , Virginia , the 2015 from the merger of Orbital Sciences Corporation and ATK Aerospace and Defense , the Arms division of Alliant Techsystems , which was acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2018 .

The operational business is divided into three areas: flight systems, defense systems and space systems.

history

The space company Orbital Sciences Corporation was founded in 1982 by three befriended Harvard Business School graduates David Thompson, Scott Webster and Bruce Ferguson. Their first product for NASA was the Transfer Orbit Stage (TOS). She became known worldwide when she developed the capacity for supply flights to the International Space Station with the cargo spacecraft Cygnus and the launch vehicle Antares as part of NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program . Based on this successful development, NASA commissioned the company in 2008 as part of its Commercial Resupply Services program for the period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2016 with 8 cargo missions to the ISS for 1.9 billion US dollars .

ATK Aerospace and Defense was formed in 1990 with the spin-off of Honeywell's defense division . By this time Honeywell had been manufacturing military equipment for the United States and for export for 50 years. ATK expanded into the aerospace sector with the acquisition of Hercules Aerospace Company in 1995 and Thiokol Propulsion in 2001. Further acquisitions of companies followed.

Orbital ATK continues to be the only operator worldwide to use the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar as a carrier aircraft for Pegasus missiles . In April 2015 the Stargazer was repainted.

Acquisition by Northrop Grumman

In September 2017, Northrop Grumman announced that it would take over Orbital ATK for a purchase price of around $ 7.8 billion and its existing debt of around $ 1.4 billion. The transaction closed on June 6, 2018.

Flight systems

Orbital ATK launchers

Rocket engines

Among other things, the company supplies the engines for the Trident II D-5 and Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. It also supplied or supplies the solid fuel boosters for the Delta II and Delta IV rockets, for the Vulcan and for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS).

Aerospace components

Orbital ATK supplies components for aircraft manufacturers and aircraft engine manufacturers, for example for the Airbus A350 XWB, for the GEnx engine from General Electric , for the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, for the Boeing 767 and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III .

Parts are also supplied for the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor , the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Lockheed F-117 and the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit .

Defense systems

Orbital is a manufacturer of automatic cannons and machine guns. The scope of production includes:

  • 30 / 40mm Mk44 Bushmaster Automatic Cannon
  • 25mm M242 Bushmaster
  • GAU-23 Bushmaster Automatic Cannon
  • Bushmaster III
  • 7.62mm Bushmaster Chain Gun
  • 30mm M230LF Chain Gun

Rocket engines for military missiles

Orbital ATK supplies the following rocket engines for military missiles:

  • Attitude Control Motor (ACM) for the Orion Exploration Vehicle
  • Brimstone Rocket Engine
  • Chaparral M-121 Rocket engine
  • Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Propulsion System
  • HELLFIRE Rocket Motor
  • IN THE HELLFIRE Rocket Motor
  • IM Joint Air-to-ground Missile Rocket Motor (IM JAGM)
  • Maverick Propulsion System & Heavy Warhead
  • Mk 419 Multi-Function Fuze (MFF)
  • Oriole Booster Motor
  • Rolling Airframe Missile Rocket Engine
  • STAR ™ Motors / Stages
  • Sidewinder Rocket Motors
  • TOW-2 Rocket engine
  • Third-stage rocket engine (TSRM)

ammunition

Orbital ATK has a broad product portfolio for ammunition of small to medium calibers, in particular:

  • 105mm ammunition
  • 120mm ammunition
  • 20mm x 102mm ammunition
  • 25mm ammunition
  • 30mm ammunition
  • 30mm & 20mm x 173mm ammunition system
  • 30mm & 30mm x 173mm ammunition
  • Medium and large calibers
  • MK19 MOD-3 Grenade Machine Gun
  • XM395 Precision Mortar (120mm)

Space systems

The subsidiary Orbital Sciences Corporation designs and operates launchers, produces satellites for NASA, the military and for private users, but also supplies components for other satellite manufacturers such as solar panels, etc. Well-known satellites are the GeoStar and LEOStar series.

Individual evidence

  1. Leadership
  2. a b Orbital ATK: Company Overview. Retrieved February 1, 2016 .
  3. ^ Orbital ATK, Merger of Orbital Sciences and ATK, Begins Operations. February 10, 2015, accessed February 3, 2016 .
  4. a b History .
  5. NASA: NASA Awards Space Station Commercial Resupply Services Contracts , December 23, 2008.
  6. ^ Justin Ray: New Orbital ATK paint job for Pegasus carrier jet. Retrieved January 17, 2018 .
  7. Northrop Grumman Acquires Orbital Missile Company , Spiegel Online, September 18, 2017.
  8. ^ Northop Grumann: Annual Report 2018
  9. Archive link ( Memento of the original from January 31, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. accessed on February 1, 2016.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.orbitalatk.com
  10. http://www.orbitalatk.com/flight-systems/overview/ accessed on February 1, 2016.
  11. ^ Commercial Aircraft. In: orbitalatk.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  12. ^ Military Aircraft Structures. In: orbitalatk.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  13. http://www.orbitalatk.com/defense-systems/armament-systems/automatic-cannons-chain-guns/ accessed on February 1, 2016.
  14. ^ Orbital ATK: Defense Systems - Missile Products. Retrieved February 1, 2016 .
  15. http://www.orbitalatk.com/defense-systems/armament-systems/ accessed on February 1, 2016.