Northrop Grumman to expand Melbourne campus as B-21 Raider production begins in California
Northrop Grumman officials are planning an expansion at the company's campus at Melbourne Orlando International Airport, where more than 5,000 employees work on an array of high-tech programs — including the U.S. Air Force's B-21 Raider long-range nuclear stealth bomber.
And America's first B-21 Raiders have entered low-rate initial production in Palmdale, California, after the first futuristic aircraft made its historic inaugural flight in November.
Northrop Grumman is exercising a lease option on 15.3 acres of airport-owned land along NASA Boulevard, stretching between the aerospace giant's campus and Satcom Direct, Melbourne Airport Authority records show. A Northrop Grumman spokesperson declined to divulge details on the upcoming expansion.
“They’re moving very quickly. We’ve already had meetings with them about the pre-planning process," Mark Busalacchi, airport director of business development, said during the Jan. 24 MAA meeting.
"I would expect you’ll see construction starting within six months," Busalacchi said.
Key lease terms for the 15.3-acre parcel:
Cost is $253,092 per year.
Consumer price index increases will be added every five years, ranging from 0.8% to 5% per year.
Northrop Grumman is responsible for all insurance, taxes and fees. The airport is responsible for relocation of endangered species, such as gopher tortoises, and environmental remediation.
All told, airport officials estimate the ground lease will generate about $7.5 million, not including CPI adjustments.
Greg Donovan, airport executive director, labeled Northrop Grumman's pending expansion "a very big win for us" during the Jan. 24 meeting. He also told board members, "a lot of questions are going to come up when you see the construction itself."
"It's a very sizable property. We're very pleased that Northrop Grumman continues to build their very successful operation here, and expand on that," Donovan said.
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Northrop Grumman's lease option dates to the Project Magellan transaction documents. In May 2014, FLORIDA TODAY broke the news that Project Magellan was the aerospace giant's bid to invest $500 million in new facilities and develop the Air Force's new stealth bomber.
Melbourne City Hall officials estimate Project Magellan added more than 2,000 jobs. Teams at Northrop Grumman's airport campus also work on the U.S. Navy's E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) programs and the Air Force's Joint STARS program.
Thus far, Northrop Grumman has yet to submit plans detailing new buildings with Melbourne's community development department, said Cheryl Mall, city spokesperson. No information has been released on which programs will be impacted by the expansion.
During an October interview, Janice Zilch, Northrop Grumman vice president of multi-domain command and control, told FLORIDA TODAY the number of buildings at the Melbourne campus jumped from six to 17 between 2016 and 2022.
In a statement, Northrop Grumman officials said the B-21 Raider has entered low-rate initial production in California.
"Our team received the contract award after B-21 entered flight testing within the program baseline schedule. Our production representative test aircraft indicated readiness for production, achieving all flight performance and data requirements," the statement said.
"As the world’s first six-generation aircraft, B-21 forms the backbone of the future for U.S. air power, delivering a new era of capability and flexibility through advanced integration of data, sensors and weapons, and is rapidly upgradable to outpace evolving threats," the statement said.
Since winning the B-21 Raider contract award in 2015, Northrop Grumman assembled a nationwide team of more than 8,000 workers with more than 400 suppliers across 40 states to design, test and build the stealth bomber, according to a company fact sheet.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Northrop Grumman to expand Melbourne campus; B-21 production begins
