Navy’s Advanced Lightweight Torpedo

Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) will manufacture and deliver to the U.S. Navy a new advanced lightweight torpedo with a custom-designed warhead to increase its lethality. Northrop Grumman will draw upon decades of production expertise to deliver a weapon that fires from multiple naval platforms.

• Northrop Grumman will perform the integration and initial proof of manufacturing at the company’s facility in Plymouth, Minnesota, and Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) in Rocket Center, West Virginia.  
• The contract, worth $233 million, covers the proof of manufacturing and qualification phases, as well as delivery of multiple torpedoes for qualification testing.
• Northrop Grumman’s state-of-the-art facilities and technologies allow for rapid delivery of this urgent U.S. Navy requirement.  

Expert: 

Dave Fine, vice president, armament systems, Northrop Grumman: “Northrop Grumman is leveraging over 80 years of innovative torpedo technology, combined with our capacity and speed in delivery, to accelerate the design qualification and manufacturing for the advanced lightweight torpedo. This new weapon will provide U.S. and allied sailors with a next-generation response to counter the most advanced undersea threats.” 

Details on the Advanced Lightweight Torpedo Program: 

The MK54 MOD 2 was designed under a cooperative development agreement with the Australian Defence Force, led by the U.S. Navy. This upgraded torpedo will enhance the existing inventory of MK54 MOD 0 and MOD 1 variants with Northrop Grumman’s advanced warhead and processing capabilities, resulting in increased performance and lethality. Capable of tracking, classifying, and attacking underwater targets, MK54 MOD 2 will operate in all ocean environments. 

These capabilities are part of Northrop Grumman’s broad offerings in advanced weapons that includes missiles, components, armaments, electronics, and interceptors to defeat and deter threats. In addition, Northrop Grumman’s expertise in deep ocean engineering and undersea vehicles will further enhance successful integration and testing of these systems. 

With nearly 100,000 employees and over 30 million square feet of manufacturing space – more than 500 football fields – Northrop Grumman has the capacity, scale, and agility to drive innovation at unprecedented speeds. The company’s manufacturing approaches do more than just produce; they accelerate and enhance the entire process from design and development to production and testing. Northrop Grumman has invested in U.S. infrastructure, R&D, its workforce, and its supply chain to deliver today and tomorrow’s national security needs. 

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our employees define possible every day.