Helen Chang

By Helen Kaiao Chang

See original story on SDNN

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Northrop Grumman is a major player in the San Diego economy. Here are some stats:

Ticker symbol: NOC

Number of employees in San Diego: 4,345 total
– Aerospace, unmanned vehicles sector: 1,935
– Information systems: 1,500
– Ship repair and maintenance: 780
– Information technology: 130

Salaries paid in San Diego in 2008: $350 million

Number of job openings in 2009: 500

Types of jobs:
– Engineering
– Technical oversight
– Program management
– Repair maintenance
– Pier labor

Job listings: Northrop Grumman website

San Diego job missions:

– Unmanned systems
o Design and test unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) including Global Hawk, Fire Scout, Unmanned Air Combat System and Aerial Targets

– Network communication systems
o Design and maintain Open-systems, net-enabled command and control systems; software-defined radios for F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor fighters, Joint Tactical Radio System and counter IED systems; advanced data links, data link management systems and airborne gateways

– Information technology
o Provide information technology for San Diego County

– Ship repair and maintenance
o Repair and maintain a range of ships, including aircraft carriers, surface
combatants, wide-deck amphibious ships and mine sweepers

Number of suppliers in San Diego: 100 companies

Amount of purchase orders in San Diego in 2008: $500 million

Latest projects:

– Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D)) – The UCAS is specifically designed for carrier takeoffs and landings, strengthening the Navy’s ability to project a highly long-range, survivable and persistent surveillance and attack presence.

– Airborne Maritime and Fixed (AMF) Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) – AMF JTRS enables operations of highly secure, high performance military tactical networks, connecting air, land and sea forces to communicate in a network-centric environment.

– CREW (Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device [RCIED] Electronic Warfare) – CREW systems are electronic jammers designed to prevent the detonation of IEDs on the battlefront. One version is designed for mounting on a vehicle, another is a pack carried for individual ground troops.

– Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aircraft system (BAMS UAS) – The BAMS UAS will provide the Navy with a persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system to protect the fleet and offer a capability to detect, track, classify and identify maritime and littoral targets.

– USS George Washington – The company’s shipbuilding operation on North Island recently repaired fire damage that occurred at sea on the nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier prior to its deployment to Japan.

Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenChang.