Northrop Grumman Named Preferred Munitions Provider for Department of War’s Drone Dominance Program

PLYMOUTH, Minn. - May 18, 2026 - Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) has been named a winner in the Department of War's Drone Dominance Program Lethality Prize Challenge, securing its role as one of five preferred payload providers to identify and scale advanced payloads capable of complementing the rapidly growing production of small drones.

• The Drone Dominance Program is a $1 billion initiative focused on the rapid deployment of low-cost, consumable unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and associated mission systems at the scale and speed required for the warfighter.
• Under this program, the Department of War aims to field more than 200,000 drones by 2027, delivering distributed lethal effects while accelerating the U.S. defense industrial base. To drive this, the Lethality Prize Challenge was launched to identify preferred providers to rapidly produce payloads for small drones.
• Northrop Grumman's selection positions the company as a vital partner for this initiative, and the company will deliver its proven, standardized Common UAS Payload - an off-the-shelf fuze and effects module.
• Engineered for seamless integration across a range of unmanned aerial, maritime and ground-based platforms, Northrop Grumman's payload provides 360-degree lethality in extreme environments using mature energetics and rugged electronics.
• Northrop Grumman has invested more than $2 billion over the past several years dedicated to solid rocket motor and munition technologies as well as facility modernization, positioning the company to meet the Drone Dominance Program's requirements and accelerated delivery timelines.

Northrop Grumman's advanced fuze and warhead technologies deliver precision and reliability across a wide range of mission-critical applications. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army)

Expert:

Tanya Santers, director, fuze and warheads, Northrop Grumman: "The Drone Dominance Program demands payloads ready to integrate and deploy immediately - no delays, no redesigns. Our Common UAS Payload meets this need with speed, safety and interoperability in mind, enabling military dominance now and into the future."

About the Common UAS Payload:

The company's Common UAS Payload is built on Northrop Grumman's deep experience and infrastructure investment. Aligned to the Department of War's Modular Open Systems Approach, the system features a modular, open-systems architecture with standard interfaces to seamlessly integrate across diverse platforms and mission sets. It also supports the U.S. Army's Purpose-Built Attritable Systems requirements, which ensures flexibility and rapid integration at a reduced lifecycle cost. This approach allows the payload to be highly adaptable and deployable across domains without extensive redesign.

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, research and development, 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.