Northrop Grumman has added a new 300,000-square-foot (27,871-square-meter) engineering facility at its Melbourne campus in Florida, supporting next-generation aircraft programs.
The 2 million-square-foot (185,806-square-meter) campus employs about 5,000 people and plays a key role in the company’s aircraft design and development activities.
Accommodating more than 1,200 engineers and including 17 secure laboratories dedicated to advanced aircraft design, the center supports several programs, including the US Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.
“We’re continuing to grow in Florida, turning years of investment and experience into real capabilities our warfighters need. This facility reinforces Melbourne as the epicenter of sixth-generation aircraft,” said Tom Jones, corporate VP and President of Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems.
Associated Programs
The campus focuses on designing, developing, and testing advanced crewed aircraft and battle management systems.
Among its notable programs are the US Navy’s E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, which functions as the service’s carrier-based airborne early warning and battle management aircraft.
The facility also served as the primary digital engineering and design headquarters for the US Air Force’s B-21 Raider stealth bomber program, whose physical assembly takes place in Northrop’s Palmdale, California center.
The Melbourne campus joins several of Northrop Grumman’s other Florida facilities, including its primary aircraft manufacturing and final assembly site in St. Augustine, the Apopka microelectronics manufacturing facility, and the Kennedy Space Center for space systems.
As one of the leading contenders for the US Navy’s sixth-generation F/A-XX fighter program, Northrop Grumman said it would leverage its Florida facilities if selected to develop the aircraft.
