Northrop Corporation

Northrop Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer and defense contractor that operated from its establishment in 1939 until its merger with Grumman in 1994. It was founded in Hawthorne, California, by aircraft designer Jack Northrop, whose career was closely associated with unconventional aerodynamic layouts, especially tailless aircraft and flying wings. The company became one of the most distinctive American aerospace manufacturers of the twentieth century. Northrop's origins were connected to several earlier ventures bearing Jack Northrop's name. After the Avion Corporation was absorbed into United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, Northrop and Donald Douglas established an earlier Northrop Corporation in Southern California. That business produced aircraft such as the Northrop Gamma and Delta, but was dissolved by Douglas in 1937 after labor difficulties. Jack Northrop subsequently established the 1939 company in Hawthorne with Moye Stephens. During the Second World War, Northrop expanded as a military producer and developed the P-61 Black Widow, a radar-equipped night fighter. The company also pursued its central flying-wing concept through the experimental XB-35 and YB-49 bomber programs. Although those aircraft did not enter regular service, the engineering work established a technical and institutional foundation for later stealth and blended-airframe projects. Northrop also developed the F-89 Scorpion interceptor and the SM-62 Snark intercontinental cruise missile. The company's most commercially successful conventional aircraft family was the lightweight F-5 Freedom Fighter. Designed as a comparatively affordable and maintainable supersonic fighter for export and allied air forces, the F-5 became widely used internationally. Its two-seat derivative, the T-38 Talon, became a major advanced jet trainer and remained an important part of United States pilot training for decades. Northrop tried to repeat the F-5's success with later lightweight designs, including the F-20 Tigershark, but the F-20 attracted insufficient procurement interest. Northrop also participated in the development of the aircraft that became the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. Its YF-17 Cobra lost the United States Air Force lightweight-fighter competition to the General Dynamics F-16, but the design was subsequently adapted with McDonnell Douglas for the United States Navy. Northrop continued to manufacture major structures and systems for the Hornet while disputing aspects of the commercial and intellectual-property relationship with McDonnell Douglas in litigation. In the late twentieth century, Northrop's flying-wing expertise contributed to the development of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. The program represented the most prominent operational expression of the design philosophy associated with Jack Northrop. The company nevertheless faced strategic setbacks, including the loss of the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition to Lockheed and the exclusion of its proposal from the Joint Strike Fighter competition. In 1994, Northrop acquired Grumman, creating Northrop Grumman. The original Northrop Corporation therefore ceased to exist as an independent corporate entity, while its aircraft programs, facilities, engineering heritage, and brand legacy continued within the merged company.

Jack Northrop's first company was Avion Corporation, established in 1928 and absorbed the following year by United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. A subsidiary using the Northrop name later became part of Boeing. In 1931, Northrop and Donald Douglas established another Northrop Corporation in El Segundo, California. That company produced the Gamma and Delta aircraft, but Douglas dissolved it in 1937 after labor problems, converting its plant into a Douglas Aircraft division. Northrop founded the 1939 Northrop Corporation in Hawthorne, California, with assistance from Moye Stephens. The new company quickly became associated with experimental aerodynamics and military aircraft. Its wartime production included the P-61 Black Widow night fighter, while its research programs included the B-35 and YB-49 flying-wing bombers. Northrop ranked among significant American wartime defense producers. After the war, it developed the F-89 Scorpion interceptor and pursued missile and unmanned-aircraft work, including the SM-62 Snark. The F-5 Freedom Fighter became Northrop's most successful export-oriented fighter. Its compact design, relatively low operating cost, and suitability for allied air forces gave the company an important international market presence. The T-38 Talon, derived from the same general design family, became a long-serving United States advanced jet trainer. Northrop's later attempts to extend this lightweight-fighter formula included the N-300, P-530, P-600, YF-17 Cobra, and F-20 Tigershark. The YF-17 lost the United States Air Force lightweight-fighter competition to the YF-16, but it was subsequently redesigned with McDonnell Douglas for naval service as the F/A-18 Hornet. Northrop sought to market an adapted F-18L, while the basic F-18A achieved stronger sales. The resulting business relationship led to prolonged litigation, although Northrop continued producing substantial portions of the aircraft. Northrop's longstanding flying-wing research ultimately became relevant to stealth aircraft. The company participated in the B-2 Spirit program, whose low-observable flying-wing configuration reflected design themes Northrop had investigated since the 1940s. At the corporate level, Northrop later suffered major competitive setbacks when it lost the Advanced Tactical Fighter award to Lockheed and when its Joint Strike Fighter proposal was not retained. In 1994, Northrop acquired Grumman and the two companies became Northrop Grumman. This transaction ended the original corporation as a standalone company but preserved its technological and organizational legacy.

1. 1994Merger with Grumman

   Northrop combines with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman.

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2. 1990B-2 Spirit reaches operational development era

   Northrop's flying-wing expertise is applied to the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber program.

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3. 1985Northrop registers northrop.com

   Northrop registers northrop.com, identified as one of the earliest .com domain names.

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4. 1974YF-17 Cobra loses Air Force competition

   Northrop's YF-17 is defeated by the General Dynamics YF-16 in the lightweight-fighter competition.

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5. 1961T-38 Talon development

   The F-5 design lineage produces the T-38 Talon advanced trainer for the United States Air Force.

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6. 1959F-5 program begins

   Northrop develops the lightweight supersonic fighter that becomes the F-5 Freedom Fighter family.

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7. 1950F-89 Scorpion enters the company's postwar portfolio

   Northrop develops the F-89 as an all-weather interceptor for United States air defense.

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8. 1946Flying-wing bomber prototypes

   The B-35 and YB-49 programs extend Northrop's long-running investigation of tailless flying-wing aircraft.

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9. 1940P-61 Black Widow development

   Northrop develops the P-61, an important American night-fighter program equipped for radar-directed interception.

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10. 1939Northrop Corporation is established in Hawthorne

    Jack Northrop establishes a new Northrop Corporation in Hawthorne, California, with Moye Stephens associated with the company's founding.

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An innovation-led American aerospace and defense contractor focused on advanced military aircraft, lightweight fighters, flying-wing configurations, stealth technology, and associated weapons systems.

• P-61 Black WidowNight fighter1944

  A twin-engine American night fighter developed during the Second World War. The P-61 was designed around airborne radar and dedicated crew positions for night interception, making it one of Northrop's defining wartime aircraft programs.

• B-35 and YB-49Experimental flying-wing bomber1946

  A sequence of experimental bomber aircraft built around Jack Northrop's flying-wing concept. Although the programs did not become standard operational bombers, they generated aerodynamic and systems knowledge that influenced Northrop's later stealth-aircraft work.

• F-89 ScorpionAll-weather interceptor1950

  A postwar jet interceptor developed for United States air defense. The F-89 combined radar-directed interception with heavy armament and served as one of Northrop's principal early Cold War military aircraft.

• F-5 Freedom FighterLightweight supersonic fighter1959

  A compact, relatively economical supersonic fighter developed for export and allied use. The F-5 achieved broad international adoption and became Northrop's best-known conventional fighter family, with later versions continuing the design's service life.

• T-38 TalonAdvanced jet trainer1961

  A two-seat supersonic trainer derived from the F-5 design approach. The T-38 became a major United States Air Force training aircraft and was used to prepare pilots for high-performance operational jets.

• YF-17 CobraLightweight fighter prototype1974

  Northrop's prototype for the United States Air Force lightweight-fighter competition. Although it lost to the YF-16, the design was adapted with McDonnell Douglas into the F/A-18 Hornet family.

• F-20 TigersharkLightweight fighter1982

  A later Northrop development based on the F-5 concept and fitted with a more powerful engine and updated systems. The aircraft was intended as a cost-effective export fighter but attracted too little market and government interest to enter significant production.

• B-2 SpiritStealth bomber1990

  A low-observable flying-wing strategic bomber developed in the late twentieth century. The B-2 represented the operational culmination of Northrop's long-standing interest in flying-wing aerodynamics and became the company's signature advanced-aircraft program.

• SM-62 SnarkIntercontinental cruise missile1959

  A long-range intercontinental cruise missile developed by Northrop during the Cold War. It extended the company's activities beyond aircraft into strategic missile systems.

• BQM-74 ChukarUnmanned target aircraft

  An unmanned aerial target system associated with Northrop's missile and unmanned-aircraft work. The Chukar family supported military testing and training requirements rather than conventional combat aviation.

• 1994Acquire Grumman and form Northrop GrummanM&A

  Northrop faced major competitive pressure after losing the Advanced Tactical Fighter award to Lockheed and having its Joint Strike Fighter proposal removed from consideration.

  What changed. Northrop acquired Grumman, combining the two aerospace companies into Northrop Grumman.

  Aftermath. The transaction ended Northrop Corporation as an independent company and created the corporate predecessor of the present-day Northrop Grumman organization.

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• 1974Develop the YF-17 from the P-530 and P-600 design lineageGeneration change

  Northrop sought to extend the commercial and technical success of the F-5 through progressively more capable lightweight-fighter designs.

  What changed. The company developed the P-530 and P-600 into the YF-17 Cobra for the United States Air Force lightweight-fighter competition.

  Aftermath. The YF-17 lost the Air Force competition but was later adapted with McDonnell Douglas into the F/A-18 Hornet.

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• 1994Northrop merges with Grumman to create Northrop Grumman

  Northrop acquired Grumman in a combination that ended Northrop Corporation's independent existence and formed Northrop Grumman.

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• 1990Northrop develops the B-2 Spirit

  Northrop's flying-wing and stealth expertise contributed to the B-2 Spirit program, which became the company's most prominent late-period aircraft project.

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• 1974Northrop's YF-17 loses the lightweight-fighter competition

  The YF-17 Cobra was not selected for the United States Air Force lightweight-fighter requirement; the General Dynamics YF-16 won the competition.

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1. Northrop Corporation