Battles & Wars › World War II › Military-industrial complex (Eisenhower's 1961 warning)
Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) and the B-2
founded 1939; B-2 first flew 1989; merged with Grumman 1994· Arms maker, factory or program· Arms makers & war industry
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
US aircraft maker founded by Jack Northrop in 1939, known for flying wings and the B-2 stealth bomber; now Northrop Grumman.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
Jack Northrop founded his company in Hawthorne, California, in 1939. In World War II it built the P-61 Black Widow, the first US plane designed as a radar-equipped night fighter. Northrop's dream was the flying wing, a plane with no fuselage or tail; his YB-49 jet bomber flew in 1947 but was canceled. The idea returned decades later as the B-2 stealth bomber, first flown in 1989. In 1994 Northrop bought Grumman, maker of Navy fighters and the Apollo lunar module.
Why it matters
It shows how Cold War secret programs and 1990s mergers turned one designer's firm into one of the few giant contractors that now build America's weapons.
How we know
Company histories, Air Force records, congressional reports on the B-2's cost of about $2 billion per plane, and surviving aircraft such as the N-9M flying-wing test plane.
Still debated
Jack Northrop later said the YB-49 was canceled because he refused a forced merger with Convair; the Air Force denied it.
Connections (4)
▸Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) and the B-2 merged in 1994 with Grumman and the F6F HellcatWell documented
The connection
In 1994 Northrop, maker of the B-2 stealth bomber, bought Grumman for about $2.1 billion after a bidding war with Martin Marietta, forming Northrop Grumman. The deal was part of a wave of post-Cold War defense mergers encouraged by the Pentagon as budgets shrank.
When and how
Los Angeles and Bethpage, New York, 1994; executives of Northrop, Grumman and Martin Marietta.
How we know
Company filings, merger records and extensive press coverage.
Debates and open questions
Whether the 1990s mergers, urged at a 1993 Pentagon dinner later nicknamed the 'Last Supper,' reduced competition and raised costs is debated.
▸Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) and the B-2 built the B-2 Spirit stealth bomberWell documented
The connection
Northrop won the secret Advanced Technology Bomber contract in 1981 with a flying-wing design, reviving Jack Northrop's 1940s idea. The B-2's shape and materials make it very hard to see on radar. It first flew in 1989. The Air Force planned 132 but bought only 21 as the Cold War ended and costs climbed to about $2 billion per plane.
When and how
Palmdale, California, 1981–2000; Northrop as prime contractor, with Boeing and Vought building major sections.
How we know
Air Force and congressional cost reports, and the public rollout in November 1988.
Debates and open questions
Whether the B-2's cost was worth it, with only 21 built, is debated; supporters point to its unique long-range strike role.
▸Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) and the B-2 built the B-2 bombers flown in Operation Midnight Hammer (US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites)Well documented
The connection
Northrop built the B-2, the only aircraft able both to carry the 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator and to slip through air defenses. Jack Northrop's flying-wing idea, revived as a stealth bomber, made the strike possible. Only 21 B-2s were ever built, and seven flew this mission.
When and how
B-2s of the 509th Bomb Wing from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, June 21–22, 2025.
How we know
Pentagon briefings and Air Force records; the B-2's role as the bomb's only carrier is documented.
Debates and open questions
How long the aging B-2 fleet can stay in service, and whether Northrop's new B-21 Raider will take over on schedule.
▸Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) and the B-2 became Northrop Grumman in 1994 during The 'Last Supper' and the 1990s defense mergersWell documented
The connection
After the Cold War, Pentagon leaders told contractors at a 1993 dinner that budgets would shrink and many firms would have to merge. Northrop bought Grumman in 1994 for about $2.1 billion, then Westinghouse's defense electronics, Litton and TRW, becoming one of the five biggest US defense contractors.
When and how
Pentagon 'Last Supper' dinner, 1993; Northrop's purchase of Grumman, 1994, after a bidding contest with Martin Marietta; later acquisitions through 2002.
How we know
SEC filings, company annual reports and Pentagon records document the deals.
Debates and open questions
Whether fewer, larger contractors cut costs or weakened competition and raised prices is still argued in Congress and among economists.