Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Weapon System Division, operates as a prime contractor delivering weapons systems, ammunition components, and ordnance equipment to the Department of Defense across Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and special operations customers. The division is a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corporation (Falls Church, Virginia) and competes on full-and-open basis with no small business set-aside designations across its prime footprint, reflecting large-business status in the defense industrial base.

The division's capability portfolio centers on ammunition and ordnance production: medium and large caliber cartridges (20mm, 25mm, 30mm, 50mm, 120mm), automatic weapons barrels, breech assemblies, firing mechanisms, recoil mechanisms, cannon systems, and associated spare parts and components. Representative examples include a $273.5 million delivery order from PEO Ammunition for XM1211 high-explosive proximity cartridges (awarded May 2024, performance through March 2030), a $99.9 million order for 25mm M792 cartridge production (September 2025), a $78.5 million order for 30mm XM1182 high-explosive air-burst tracer cartridges (September 2024), a $3.05 billion indefinite delivery vehicle with PEO Ammunition for medium and large caliber ammunition (awarded March 2024, running through March 2029), and a $92.06 million vehicle with PEO Ammunition for XM343 Standoff Activated Volcano Obstacle System production (awarded February 2024, through December 2028). The division also delivers specialized components under smaller delivery orders to Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime (firing mechanisms, recoil assemblies, track components, housings, fasteners) valued in the $100,000 range and below.

Customer concentration reflects a heavy ammunition and ordnance focus. PEO Ammunition accounts for 60 awards carrying $8.96 billion combined potential value, anchoring the portfolio. Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime represents 179 awards with $28.2 million combined potential value, while Marine Corps places 23 awards for $125.8 million. The top five customers (PEO Ammunition, Army, Naval Sea Systems Command, Marine Corps, PEO Ground Combat Systems) account for $11.3 billion, or 98% of combined potential value. The split between DLA volume (high award count, modest individual ceilings) and PEO Ammunition dollars (far fewer awards but multi-hundred-million ceilings) signals two distinct customer streams: routine component sustainment through DLA and surge ammunition production for operational requirements through PEO Ammunition.

The division holds four major parent vehicles: a $3.053 billion PEO Ammunition IDIQ for medium and large caliber ammunition (18 delivery orders issued as of September 2024); a $92.057 million PEO Ammunition IDIQ for SAVO system production (3 delivery orders); a $14.252 million Land and Maritime IDIQ for breech assemblies and weapon system components (57 task orders under SPE7LX24D0016); and several smaller DLA IDIQs for housing dampers ($250 thousand ceiling), control cams ($250 thousand), and related components. The division also participates in a $9.59 million multiple-award Other Transaction Agreement with PEO Ammunition for Phase 1 SABOT resin development and a $6.018 million single-award indefinite delivery contract with U.S. Special Operations Command for M230 components and repair services.

Activity trajectory shows sustained volume: 26 awards in 2022, 76 in 2023, 148 in 2024, 70 in 2025, and 10 through March 2026 (year-to-date). The portfolio spans 364 total awards with $11 billion combined potential value and $4.07 billion obligated (37% draw-down). Within the next twenty-four months, 64 awards with $607.3 million combined potential value reach ultimate completion, creating significant recompete exposure across DLA component orders and PEO Ammunition cartridge production lines. NAICS concentration runs heavily to Small Arms, Ordnance, and Ordnance Accessories Manufacturing (175 awards) and Ammunition Manufacturing (61 awards), with PSC codes 10 (Guns Through 30mm, 169 awards) and ammunition (41 awards) dominating the profile.

The division operates as a large prime (93% of awards), with only 24 sub-awards recorded in the source across the full activity window. SCI-reported service contract activity is negligible—four SCI records total (one prime, three sub) with zero invoiced revenue on prime records and sub engagement averaging less than one FTE across fiscal years 2022–2024. This pattern reflects the division's heavy goods (ammunition, components) and product-delivery business model rather than labor-intensive services, placing SCI outside primary revenue and capability signals.

Subcontracting patterns on major ammunition orders show reliance on specialized supply-chain partners: Amtec Corporation and Olin Winchester LLC for ammunition manufacturing; ST. Marks Powder Inc. for propellant; BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc. and Radford Army Ammunition Plant for explosives; and precision machining firms including Trace-A-Matic Corp, Align Precision, and others for component fabrication. On ordnance and weapon system programs, Mcnally Industries, Ringfeder Power Transmission, and smaller component suppliers round out the vendor ecosystem. Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation also appears as a subcontractor to General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems, Oshkosh Defense LLC, and General Dynamics Land Systems on ammunition, ordnance, and vehicle-program work, indicating a mixed prime-and-sub operational posture across its parent company's broader portfolio.

Place of performance concentrates in Minneapolis, Minnesota (primary ammunition and components manufacturing) and Radford, Virginia (ammunition plant location), with secondary Mesa, Arizona and Albany, Georgia facilities for specialized ordnance and gun system work. The division's ownership is fully within Northrop Grumman Corporation (parent entity EU5DMENAGD85), with no external minority ownership or SBA designations. No federal grant activity appears in the source despite the parent company's noted grant prime awardee status; division work is contract-only.