Northrop Grumman Employees, Teams Honored by The Engineers' Council

LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) employees and project teams were recognized by The Engineers' Council for their significant engineering contributions during the organization's 58th annual honors and awards banquet on Feb. 23, one of the largest celebrations of National Engineers Week in the nation.

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Based in California's San Fernando Valley, The Engineers' Council is an independent, nonprofit group dedicated to advancing the art and science of engineering.

This year, the organization honored Allen A. Arata of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems with the Jack Northrop Spirit of Aviation Award. Based in the company's flight-analysis department in El Segundo, Calif., Arata received the award for his aerodynamic design work, which the organization noted has greatly affected all aspects of aerodynamic design for present and future manned and unmanned military aircraft, especially flying-wing designs such as the B-2 Stealth Bomber. The award commemorates the vision, perseverance and engineering prowess reminiscent of aviation pioneer Jack Northrop, whose achievements and techniques broke the barriers of traditional aircraft design. The Engineers' Council bestows this award in honor of individual technical contributions that inspire innovation and advance the progress of the industry.

"Given Jack Northrop's pioneering of the flying-wing concept, it's most appropriate that our own Allen Arata has received the Jack Northrop Spirit of Aviation Award," said Peggy Nelson, vice president of engineering and global product development for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "Throughout Allen's 37-year tenure with our company, he has proven to be influential in aircraft design, and this honor justly rewards his hard work."

"Engineers should be celebrated every single day for the imagination and talent that they bring to inventing, designing and building things that improve lives," said Gorik Hossepian, vice president of Northrop Grumman's Navigation and Positioning Systems business unit. "Our exemplary employees who were honored by The Engineers' Council represent some of the best and brightest minds at Northrop Grumman."

The Engineers' Council also honored Northrop Grumman employees with awards for engineering achievements. The Outstanding Engineering Achievement Merit Award was presented to:

• Michael Bulatowicz for innovation, dedication and outstanding achievements in furthering the development of inertial instruments and sensors;
• Aaron K. Oki for revolutionary engineering efforts in the field of Gallium-Nitride microelectronics component development; and
• Matthew Spencer for outstanding contributions in the design, development, analysis and testing of inertial navigation sensors and systems.

Employees receiving Distinguished Engineering Achievement Awards included:

• Michael Denice for distinguished engineering leadership and innovation in the mechanical design, analysis and test of inertial sensors and systems, resulting in superior navigation system performance in demanding environments;
• Richard Savoie for distinguished engineering leadership and mentorship in the field of electromagnetic interference and control design, testing and analysis; and
• Ragini Saxena for a distinguished career leading multi-disciplinary electrical, mechanical, reliability, safety and test engineering teams and for being an inspirational mentor to students, interns and young engineers.

Several Northrop Grumman-led teams were also honored with Distinguished Engineering Project Achievement Awards:

• Joint Precision Approach and Landing System-Capable Navigation System Demonstration;
• First flight of the Long-Endurance, Multi-Intelligence Vehicle;
• First flight of the P-29 Firebird;
• Precise Navigation for GPS-Denied Environments;
• Protected Satellite Communications Low-Cost Terminal; and
• The X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System, recognized for its Autonomous Aerial Refueling Demonstration, Block 1 Flight Test Envelope Expansion and Airworthiness, Deck Handling, First Unmanned Catapult, and Guidance Navigation and Control Software for Carrier Operations.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber security, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation