Northrop Grumman puts major accent on R&D.

In the world of aerospace and aviation research, there is probably no better known or more respected entity than Lockheed Corp.'s Skunk Works facility, which after years in Burbank is now based in Palmdale.

But there is a new player in the research race, and that is Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Advanced Technology and Development Center.

Since the merger of Northrop Corp. and Grumman Corp. earlier this year, the center - created two years ago by Northrop - has taken on an even bigger research role, adding employees and facilities that are now located on both coasts and in Texas.

In addition to the big Northrop-Grumman merger, the size and scope of the research center was also increased earlier this year when the combined company, which is based in Century City, acquired Vought Aircraft Co. in Texas.

Roughly 600 researchers are now employed at the center, which has facilities at three locations - Pico Rivera, Bethpage, N.Y., and Dallas. About 250 work at the center's Pico Rivera facility, 300 in Bethpage and 50 in Dallas.

Citing competition and the fact that some of the center's work is secret, Northrop Grumman officials decline to say how much they are investing in its operations.

Most research is military

James Roache, corporate vice president for development and planning and the person responsible for the center's operations, said 85 percent of the research involves military projects, and the rest is commercial. That ratio is consistent with the company's commitment to remain primarily a defense contractor, despite the big cuts in Pentagon spending, Northrop Grumman officials said.

The research center was established by Northrop Chairman Kent Kresa. The idea was to carry on the work done by Northrop researchers in developing the company's version of the advanced tactical fighter, said Roache.

"We wanted to formalize a way to retain our core competencies in military aircraft design," he said.

At the time, Northrop and Lockheed were in head-to-head competition to win a huge multibillion-dollar contract to mass-produce the fighter. Lockheed, which eventually won the contract, designed its version of the ATF, now called the F-22, at its Skunk Works research facility. The Skunk Works is formally known as Lockheed Advanced Development Co.

Over its long history, researchers at the Skunk Works have developed such aircraft as the F-1 17 stealth fighter and the SR-71 Blackbird, a high-altitude military plane that set numerous speed records.

Roache said the Northrop Grumman center constantly competes with the Skunk Works for both announced and unannounced military projects. In other words, both facilities are designing aviation weapons systems put out to bid by the Pentagon, as well as doing independent research on systems and then trying to convince the military to buy the product.

Researchers team up

At the center, said Roache, researchers are divided into teams and assigned projects, rather than each person going off in a different direction.

One of the biggest current projects is preparing a bid for development of a new military aircraft with a working name of JAST - Joint Advanced Strike Technology. Northrop Grumman is teamed with McDonnell Douglas Corp. and British Aerospace Co. to build the JAST, but several other teams are also working on proposals to vie for the contract to build the aircraft.

In addition to designing entire aircraft, the center is involved in more nuts and bolts work, such as devising new manufacturing equipment and techniques and materials to build airplanes, said Roache.

"One thing that has changed with the decline in defense spending is that there isn't going to be a big aircraft project coming along every year anymore," he said. "That means that we have to be involved in things like work on materials and manufacturing techniques, as well being able to come up with new aircraft designs."