BRIEFCASE NORTHROP AWARDED $49 MILLION DEAL.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

WOODLAND HILLS - Northrop Grumman Corp. announced Tuesday that its Navigation Systems Division has been awarded a U.S. Navy support contract potentially valued at more than $49 million.

The contract calls for the Woodland Hills-based division to repair and retrofit antisubmarine warfare and navigational systems.

Disney broadband moves into Japan

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Walt Disney Co. Japan Ltd., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corp. announced an agreement Tuesday to jointly provide Disney-brand broadband services.

Disney broadband services will be launched next Tuesday for the 3.5 million users of the broadband access provided by NTT East and NTT West.

Apples becoming 'newest' fast food

DES MOINES, Iowa - McDonald's Corp. is working on an alternative - apple slices that can be dipped in caramel - for kids whose parents want them to lay off the french fries in Happy Meals.

William Whitman, a spokesman for the fast-food giant, said Tuesday that the new Apple Dippers will be tested in three market areas later this summer.

Whitman said it would cost an additional 20 cents to exchange the fries for Apple Dippers.

The test comes as food manufacturers and restaurant chains are under increased pressure to improve nutritional values.

Shopping mood hit nation in June

WASHINGTON - America's shoppers emerged from a lull and got into the buying groove in June, driving up sales at the nation's retailers by 0.5 percent, the best showing in three months.

The solid increase reported by the Commerce Department on Tuesday came after retail sales were flat in May, according to revised figures. May's performance was slightly weaker than the tiny 0.1 percent gain the government estimated a month ago.

Shoppers in June snapped up building and garden supplies, sporting goods, clothing and furniture.

Make vans safer, GM, Ford advised

WASHINGTON - General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. should add lap-and-shoulder seat belts and other improvements to their 15-passenger vans by 2006 to make them safer in rollover incidents, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

The board recommended that the companies improve interiors and strengthen roofs to prevent head injuries during rollover crashes. The board also wants safety belts in all seating positions.

Satellite maker seeks protection

NEW YORK - Struggling to recover from an industrywide slump, satellite maker Loral Space & Communications Ltd. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday and will sell its six North American satellites to Intelsat Ltd. for up to $1.1 billion.

New York-based Loral said it will reorganize around its manufacturing operations and its remaining network of five satellites. Those satellites - three in space now and two scheduled for launch within nine months - can serve markets in South America, Europe and Asia where Loral officials hope for fast growth.

The company plans to use the proceeds from selling the North American satellites to pay off $959 million in secured bank debt. The deal could close within four to six months.