S&P 500 · Defense & space prime · B-21 & Sentinel
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is one of the three largest US defense and space prime contractors, posting FY2025 revenue of $41.954 billion, up about 2% from $41.033 billion a year earlier. Its business is organized into four segments, Aeronautics, Defense, Mission and Space Systems, and its largest customer is the US government, which accounted for 84% of 2025 sales. Total backlog reached $95.7 billion at the end of 2025, up from $91.5 billion, giving multi-year revenue visibility. Its flagship programs are the US Air Force B-21 Raider next-generation stealth bomber (Aeronautics) and the Sentinel ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile (Defense). Space Systems revenue was $10.771 billion, the second-largest of the four segments, spanning NASA's Cygnus ISS resupply spacecraft, solid rocket motors for NASA's SLS heavy-lift vehicle, Space Development Agency tracking and transport satellite layers, and GEM solid rocket boosters supplied to ULA's Vulcan and Atlas V. Through co-development of the medium-lift Eclipse launch vehicle and a $50 million equity stake in Firefly Aerospace, Northrop is also moving into the commercial launch market.
NOC Updated Jul 12, 2026 4 AI consumers· 2 recurring
Per the valuechain.wiki graph, Northrop Grumman is directly linked to 3 companies (1 supply, 1 revenue, 1 investment relationships) and reaches 7 companies within two hops; the links are backed by 10 dated sources, 1 of them primary filings (as of 2026-07-12).
Financials & Segments
- Total revenue · FY2025 revenue $41,954M (up ~2% from $41,033M)
- Customer concentration · US government 84% · International $5,990M (~14%) · Other $781M. By segment: Aeronautics $12,992M, Defense $8,002M, Mission $12,506M, Space $10,771M. Total backlog $95,679M (YE2025)
- Segments · Aeronautics Systems · Defense Systems · Mission Systems · Space Systems
Revenue from
- International and allied governments High confidence· Revenue $6B · FY2025 · 10-K geographic sales, international sales
Most non-US-government revenue is international sales to allied foreign governments. International sales were $5,990 million in 2025, about 14% of the total. Foreign Military Sales customers such as South Korea and NATO members are the main international buyers. - Republic of Korea government (ROK Air Force) High confidence· revenue relationship ₩966B · 2019-2020 · RoKAF procurement of four RQ-4 Global Hawks (FMS)
Under Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Northrop Grumman delivered four RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawk high-altitude reconnaissance drones to the Republic of Korea Air Force. The first arrived at Sacheon in December 2019 and the fourth in September 2020, completing the fleet, at a total contract value of roughly 966 billion won, followed by FMS logistics support contracts. - U.S. Government High confidence· Revenue share 84% · FY2025 · 10-K customer concentration note, share of sales to the US government
Northrop Grumman's largest customer is the US government, dominated by the Department of Defense. US government sales were 84% of total in 2025, down slightly from 87% in 2024 and 86% in 2023. Flagship programs including the B-21 Raider, the Sentinel ICBM, and Trident II fleet ballistic missile motors are all US government awards.Mentions EN TradingView News Published Jan 29, 2026: Northrop Grumman Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results - NASA High confidence
NASA is a key customer of Northrop's Space Systems segment. Under Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contracts it supplies the ISS with the Cygnus cargo spacecraft, and it provides solid rocket motors for the SLS heavy-lift vehicle and the HALO habitation module for the lunar Gateway. The first Cygnus XL (NG-23) launched in September 2025. Individual contract values are not disclosed.Mentions EN Spaceflight Now Published Sep 15, 2025: Northrop Grumman's 1st Cygnus XL spacecraft launches on cargo run to the space station - Space Development Agency High confidence
The Space Development Agency (SDA) is a key government customer of Northrop's Space Systems, ordering the low-Earth-orbit Tracking and Transport satellite layers. These constellations provide missile warning/tracking and low-latency, high-volume data transport, and are a growth pillar of the Space segment. This is a program-level relationship counted within the 84% US-government concentration. - United Launch Alliance High confidence
Northrop Grumman supplies GEM 63 and GEM 63XL solid rocket boosters for ULA's Vulcan and Atlas V launch vehicles. Four GEM 63XL boosters flew on Vulcan's first certified flight (USSF-106) in August 2025, adding nearly two million pounds of thrust. It is a per-vehicle booster supply relationship.Confirms EN Northrop Grumman Published Aug 12, 2025: Northrop Grumman's GEM 63XL Solid Rocket Boosters Help Power First Certified Flight of ULA's Vulcan Rocket - RTX Medium confidence
Supplies solid rocket motors to RTX (Raytheon). The US SRM market is a duopoly of L3Harris (Aerojet Rocketdyne) and Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon relies on Northrop as one of its two suppliers to ramp AMRAAM, Sidewinder and other missile production. Individual contract values are not disclosed.Confirms EN RTX Published Jun 5, 2025: RTX and Northrop Grumman conduct successful rocket motor tests for U.S. Army's Next-Generation Short-Range InterceptorConfirms EN Defense One Published Jul 23, 2024: Raytheon hunting for another US supplier of solid rocket motors
Pays to
- SpaceX High confidence
After the Antares 230+ rocket was retired in 2023 due to disrupted Ukrainian/Russian component supply, Northrop Grumman launches the Cygnus spacecraft on SpaceX's Falcon 9. Falcon 9 was used consecutively from NG-20 through NG-24, and the first Cygnus XL (NG-23) also flew on a Falcon 9 Block 5 in September 2025. SpaceX is a launch-services cost supplier.Confirms EN Spaceflight Now Published Sep 15, 2025: Northrop Grumman's 1st Cygnus XL spacecraft launches on cargo run to the space station - Supply chain basket (undisclosed) Medium confidence
Northrop Grumman relies on single- or sole-source suppliers for certain components including microelectronics and solid rocket motor raw materials. The 10-K notes challenges obtaining certain raw materials due to inflation, geopolitical conflicts and microelectronics shortages. Individual suppliers and amounts are not disclosed.
Investments
- Firefly Aerospace High confidence· investment amount $50M · 2025-05 · Northrop's $50M equity stake in Firefly's Series D
In May 2025 Northrop Grumman made a $50 million equity investment in Firefly Aerospace. The investment is part of Firefly's announced $175 million Series D round and is intended to accelerate production and testing of the medium-lift Eclipse launch vehicle (formerly MLV) the two companies are co-developing. Eclipse can place up to 16,300 kg into low Earth orbit and shares the Firefly-built first stage of the Antares 330.Confirms EN SpaceNews Published May 29, 2025: Northrop invests $50 million into Firefly for launch vehicle developmentConfirms EN Northrop Grumman Published May 29, 2025: Northrop Grumman Invests $50 Million in Firefly Aerospace to Advance Eclipse Medium Launch Vehicle
Value-chain ripple (2 tiers)
Following node-to-node links up to 2 tiers; each firm is shown once, at its nearest tier.
| Company | Chain | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 | '25 | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textron | lead2 | +59.9 | -8.2 | +13.7 | -4.8 | +14.1 | +4.3 |
| Airbus | lead2 | +34.8 | +3.9 | +30.5 | +15 | +18.3 | +3.9 |
| Boeing | lead2 | -6 | -5.4 | +36.8 | -32.1 | +22.7 | +2.4 |
| Leonardo S.p.A. | lead2 | +11.3 | +50.3 | +73.6 | +89.1 | +88.1 | -6.8 |
| RTX | lead1 | +23.3 | +20 | -14.4 | +40.8 | +61.4 | +7.6 |
| Northrop Grumman | node | +29.3 | +43 | -12.8 | +1.9 | +23.6 | -4.6 |
| Firefly Aerospace | benef1 | · | · | · | · | · | +7.7 |
| SpaceX | benef2 | · | · | · | · | · | +0.7 |
YTD as of 2026-07-10 · source: Yahoo Finance
The thesis is backlog visibility as a core prime of US nuclear modernization. 84% of FY2025 revenue of $41.95bn is to the US government and a $95.7bn backlog pre-locks multi-year revenue, with growth anchored by decades-long programs: the US Air Force B-21 Raider stealth bomber (Aeronautics) and the ground-based Sentinel ICBM (Defense). Space Systems ($10.77bn) is the second-largest segment, spanning SDA tracking/transport satellite layers, NASA's Cygnus and SLS solid motors, and GEM boosters for ULA's Vulcan — exposed to government and commercial launch demand — while a $50m Firefly stake and Eclipse co-development push into commercial launch. Solid rocket motors are a duopoly with L3Harris, making it one of RTX's (Raytheon) two suppliers for the missile ramp. Risks are that 84% of revenue is tied to US budgets and program schedules, and that some supply is externally dependent — Cygnus now launches on SpaceX Falcon 9.
Analysis generated from returns as of 2026-07-09Analyst ratings
Consensus: Buy 4 · Hold 1 · Sell 0 · Avg. target $694 · Price $539.63 (07-10) · Upside +29%
| Broker | Rating | Target | Published | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citigroup · John Godyn | Buy | $587 | Jul 1, 2026 | Report ↗ |
| Jefferies · Sheila Kahyaoglu | Hold | $580 | Jun 26, 2026 | Report ↗ |
| UBS · Gavin Parsons | Buy | $745 | Apr 23, 2026 | Report ↗ |
| BTIG Research · Andre Madrid | Buy | $815 | Apr 22, 2026 | Report ↗ |
| Morgan Stanley · Kristine Liwag | Overweight | $745 | Apr 22, 2026 | Report ↗ |
Maintains Buy but lowers the target to $587 from $628.
Analyses covering this node
- When budgets move, primes move: the European-Korean defense re-rating Jul 5, 2026
- The prime tier runs on a budget clock: where the space re-rating stops Jul 4, 2026