EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 30, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has delivered its 400th fuselage section for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the U.S. Navy’s combat-proven multi-role strike fighter.

The fuselage “shipset,” measuring nearly 30 feet long and 18 feet high, consists of the aircraft’s center and aft fuselage sections, twin vertical tails and all associated subsystems. It was shipped earlier this month to The Boeing Company’s F/A-18 production center in St. Louis, Mo., for final assembly and delivery to the Navy.

As principal F/A-18E/F subcontractor to Boeing, Northrop Grumman is responsible for design and production of the entire center and aft fuselage as well as subsystems integration and after-delivery product support. Northrop Grumman has now delivered 1,879 shipsets for all models of the F/A-18, including the F/A-18A-D Hornet and now the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler.

“Delivery of the 400th Super Hornet shipset marks a significant achievement for Northrop Grumman and the dedicated employees who make it happen,” said Michelle Scarpella, director of F/A-18 Programs for Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Systems sector. “Every shipset carries our commitment to the men and women of the Navy to give them the best we have to offer.”

The F/A-18E/F program accounts for more than 1,200 jobs at Northrop Grumman’s El Segundo Manufacturing Center and more than 10,000 jobs in California at over 700 supplier companies. The entire Super Hornet industry team includes Boeing, Northrop Grumman, GE Aircraft Engines, the Raytheon Company and more than 1,400 suppliers in the United States and Canada.

Since the F/A-18E/F entered service with the Navy in 1999, every one has been delivered on time or ahead of its delivery schedule. With built-in versatility, the aircraft features a suite of integrated and networked systems that provide enhanced interoperability and total force support for the combatant commander and troops on the ground. The U.S. Navy is expected to acquire a minimum of 506 Super Hornets and 88 EA-18G aircraft.

Source: Northrop Grumman