Global Power Made in America: Northrop Grumman Makes it in Virginia

As one of North America's leading tech hubs, Virginia stands at the epicenter of innovation and advancements in defense and aerospace. Home to Northrop Grumman's corporate headquarters in Falls Church, the state spans from the rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to its vibrant business community, serving as a dynamic engine for economic growth and technological progress. Northrop Grumman exemplifies this vibrant ecosystem, with a robust presence across multiple facilities, encompassing nearly 1 million square feet of state-of-the-art manufacturing space.

Northrop Grumman's Blue Ridge Advanced Manufacturing Center is under construction in Waynesboro, Virginia, designed to enhance high-volume production of mission-critical technologies. (Photo Credit: Northrop Grumman)

From assembling critical spacecraft to advancing satellite systems, here's how Northrop Grumman's work in Virginia is propelling American manufacturing into the future:

• Driving Economic Growth and Workforce Development. With over 5,000 employees statewide, Northrop Grumman contributes more than $5.1 billion to the Virginia economy annually. The company actively invests in the local workforce through strategic partnerships with universities such as Virginia Tech and James Madison University, promoting STEM education and research initiatives. In 2025, Northrop Grumman and its employees contributed over $700,000 to charitable initiatives in Virginia and logged 11,118 volunteer hours in support of STEM education, workforce development, and military and veteran families. Through these efforts, Northrop Grumman supports local development and creates pathways for future talent, reinforcing its commitment to building strong communities across the state and beyond.

• Scaling Up: Expanding Manufacturing Space to Meet Tomorrow's Needs. Northrop Grumman's new Blue Ridge Advanced Manufacturing Center located in Waynesboro, VA, currently scheduled to open in 2026, will significantly enhance high-volume production capabilities for warfighting and defense applications. Spanning approximately 315,000 square feet, with potential for future expansion, this state-of-the-art facility exemplifies Northrop Grumman's commitment to investing in American manufacturing. The facility will utilize cutting-edge digital processes, robotics, and iterative testing methodologies to meet Northrop Grumman's objectives of streamlining production, increasing production rates, improving precision and reducing time-to-market. With an investment exceeding $400 million, the Waynesboro site is well-positioned to help Northrop Grumman meet the escalating demands of the defense market, enhancing the company's ability to scale operations and deliver critical technologies more quickly and cost-effectively.

• Advanced Space Manufacturing: A Hub for Innovation. Virginia solidifies its position as a leader in space systems development through Northrop Grumman's advanced facilities. At the Dulles Satellite Manufacturing Facility, the company employs innovative techniques to design, test and integrate a variety of highly reliable spacecraft for national security, science and communications missions. This includes the Cygnus spacecraft, contributing to the safe transport of critical cargo to the International Space Station, and the company's innovative satellite servicing spacecraft. This 135,000 square foot facility has delivered over 130 highly reliable spacecraft and is equipped with clean rooms, testing facilities and an advanced-robotics lab, to ensure rigorous performance verification in harsh space environments.

• Expanding Access to Space. Northrop Grumman has been launching rockets from the shores of Wallops Island, VA, for decades. To meet the industry's rapidly growing demand for more space launch service options, the Commonwealth's investment in Wallops will allow Northrop Grumman and other launch providers additional opportunities, such as capacity for medium launch vehicles. The company also leverages Wallops capabilities to process payloads and conduct critical integration and test work for its space launch rockets, including the Antares 330 and Eclipse rockets in development.

• Manufacturing Excellence for All Domains. Nestled on 19 acres in Charlottesville, VA is a nearly 300,000 square foot Northrop Grumman site that exemplifies American manufacturing strength. With more than 130,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing space, this facility specializes in precision machining, welding, hydraulic assembly, wire harness production, electromechanical assembly and environmental testing. Utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as augmented and virtual reality, process simulations, collaborative automation, additive manufacturing and automated testing, Charlottesville employees reliably deliver critical technologies that enable warfighters to safely navigate complex threat environments from undersea to outer space.

• Accelerating Breakthrough Innovation through Collaborative Leadership. Northrop Grumman is a founding partner of the National Innovation Quarter, a transformative innovation district in National Landing, spanning Arlington and Alexandria, VA. This initiative acts as a catalyst for U.S. competitiveness and dual-use innovation while driving regional economic growth. The company will collaborate with leaders across the innovation ecosystem, from academia to private industry and government, building on collective expertise and resources to confront the most formidable national security challenges of our time.

From enhancing advanced manufacturing capabilities to ensuring mission-ready systems, Northrop Grumman's Virginia workforce is driving innovation that fortifies national security and expands the frontiers of space exploration.

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 approach isn't just about flawless production - it was developed to accelerate and enhance the entire process from design and development to production and testing. The company has invested in U.S. infrastructure, R&D, its workforce, and supply chain to deliver the national security needs of today and for tomorrow.