Northrop Grumman

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Northrop Grumman and Embraer said they would partner to offer the Brazilian aircraft maker’s KC-390 to the U.S. Air Force, confirming a Feb. 18 report by Aviation Week.

Northrop Grumman is presenting a three-pronged approach to offer a “family of systems” for the USAF if it progresses with that plan for future refuelers.

U.S. military space leaders spent the better part of last year debating whether the time was ripe to invest further in in-space servicing and refueling. But going into 2026, the messaging has begun to coalesce around a more positive note.

Production of JetZero’s BWB demonstrator is underway, beginning with assembly of the pressurized cockpit section and forward fuselage.

The U.S. Air Force is now planning for its first missile pad test launch of its next intercontinental ballistic missile next year.

Northrop Grumman has unveiled a new active electronically scanned array to be produced using additive manufacturing and a more simplistic design.

A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket successfully delivered the next batch of U.S. military satellites to their intended orbits on Feb. 12.

Sierra Nevada Company has brought on two major companies to pitch a new-build trainer aircraft for the U.S. Navy.

The U.S. Space Force is working to advance its protected tactical satellite communication (satcom) efforts with boosted prototypes.

The U.S. Marine Corps has selected General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. to participate in its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.

L3Harris expects its new Missile Solutions unit, which combines Aerojet-Rocketdyne with critical missile systems, to generate $4.4 billion in revenue this year.

The U.S. Air Force in December 2025 awarded Northrop Grumman contracts for the next production lot of B-21 Raider bombers.

The U.S. Space Force is moving quickly to field a new constellation of commercially derived spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit.

NASA has named eight U.S. companies that are eligible to bid for the development of the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter.

For almost a year, the Pentagon’s pause and review of the U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX program has tested the patience of the competitors.

Luminary Cloud, a U.S. startup applying artificial intelligence to physics-based engineering simulation, has expanded its range of design models.

Blended wing body (BWB) startup JetZero says development of its full-size demo will accelerate following a successful Series B financing round.

The U.S. Navy awarded Northrop Grumman $233 million to manufacture a new lightweight torpedo to be launched from the service’s fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.

Northrop Grumman will provide the autonomy software for the U.S. Marine Corps first loyal wingman uncrewed system.

Rocket Lab joins established primes as the U.S. Space Development Agency scales its proliferated missile-warning and tracking architecture.

One week into 2026, United Launch Alliance is preparing for its first mission of the year.

Six years have passed since Northrop Grumman won an opportunity to upgrade the system on the U.S. Air Force fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16s.

The U.S. Air Force announced Dec. 22 that it has designated the Northrop Grumman Project Talon uncrewed aircraft prototype the YFQ-48A.

Rocket Lab is making its missile defense development debut as the SDA awarded the company one of four contracts for the next phase of its Tracking Layer