Northrop Grumman lands ingenuity honor
PALMDALE — One of the Antelope Valley’s aerospace companies has been recognized for revolutionizing the production of military aircraft through human ingenuity and advanced digital tooling technology.
Northrop Grumman was honored for its F-35 Integrated Assembly Line with a Laureate Award in Defense Manufacturing from Aviation Week, which is described as the “Oscars” of aerospace, Senior Director, Integrated Product Team Lead Raina Smithley said.
“It’s a very significant recognition of what’s really been years of planning and executing a vision of how we bring aircraft manufacturing to the 21st Century requirements and beyond,” Smithley said.
The aerospace company has increased its center fuselage production to 156 deliveries per year. The center fuselage is the core structure of the F-35 Lightning II, which forms a significant portion of the aircraft’s internal weapons bay and internal fuel capacity.
“Our integrated assembly line is designed and built to manufacture at a very rapid
pace,” said Glenn Masukawa, Northrop Grumman vice president and F-35 program manager.
Not only was the line designed to manufacture at a high pace, but it also maintains its affordability with a relatively small footprint.
Unlike the traditional assembly line car manufacturers use where the product moves down a conveyor belt and pieced together, the line moves the fuselage from station-to-station on an automated guided vehicle.
“We have a hybrid approach where you move from one station to the next and then it’s first in, first out,” Smithley said. “There is a build process that happens in that station. When you reach a certain level of being done, you move to the next station.”
The line, built in a 250,000-square-foot hangar, first opened in 2011. “From concept and design phase to loading a jet was approximately two years,” Smithley said. “We made our first delivery off the line about a year later.”
Being recognized with a Laureate Award is not just another accomplishment for Northrop Grumman, but also a testimony to the dedication and talent of everyone involved in the project.
“When a facility brings together talent, technology, and a sense of mission — it’s a winning formula for our people, our customers and ultimately, the warfighter,” Masukawa said. “The IAL team continues to push boundaries and set the pace of military aircraft production through our integrated digital capabilities.”