“Northrop Grumman” on The Daily Caller

Two top U.S. defense contractors posted profit that beat Wall Street’s expectations on Wednesday despite lower-than-expected revenue, underlining their efforts to adapt to declining federal spending. (more)

The American Small Business League has filed 12 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against the Obama administration for refusing to release simple, routine information on federal small business contracting programs. I don’t think most people realize that although President Obama promised to have the most transparent administration in history, he actually has maintained one of the least transparent. (more)

Replacing the aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers has been an Air Force priority since 2002.  That year, Congress approved funding for Boeing to lease up to one-hundred 767s to replace the 50-year-old KC-135 tankers.  However, the deal fell apart in the wake of a 2004 bribery scandal that resulted in the convictions of a top Pentagon procurement officer and a senior Boeing official. (more)

After surging in size and profits during the post-9/11 era, the defense industry in metropolitan Washington is bracing for a major contraction and significant layoffs that economists said could produce a drag on the regional economy for years. (more)

As someone interested in the cutting edge, one of the best things about Road Trip 2010 has been getting a rare look at the U.S. Navy’s next-generation aircraft carrier and the world’s most advanced submarine. (more)

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence sent a memo late last week to contractors warning them about the Washington Post’s article on the growth of top-secret agencies and contracting activity. (more)

I’m staring down into a pit in which the beginnings of what will one day be the most advanced aircraft carrier on Earth are already well under way. (more)

Automobile design has changed drastically over the last half century, and computers have gone from filling entire rooms to fitting neatly in our briefcases. The Boeing 737, however, has changed very little. An MIT team aims to bring aviation into the 21st century with two bold new designs for commercial airliners that could trim fuel use by up to 70 percent while increasing passenger capacity. (more)

Are we finally witnessing the dawn of the “death ray”? (more)

Northrop Grumman, whose plan to relocate its West Coast headquarters to the Washington area has spurred a high-stakes competition among local governments, has narrowed its choices to Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery counties, according to several sources in government and real estate. (more)

The White House, the Pentagon and Congress fear the surge. Not the recent shipment of a few troops to Gen. Stanley McChrystal, but the surge of angry American voters in November. Not only are those voters afraid that the Obama administration and the Democrat-led Congress will bankrupt the nation, they are also impatient with the endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. So how will President Obama and his congressional cronies survive the coming November tsunami? Simple. Declare victory and get out of the Near East. Retreat from Afghanistan will be well underway before November this year, and the Stars and Stripes will be on a fast freight out of Iraq before the U.S. presidential election in 2012. (more)

Northrop Grumman, which in 2008 was named the victor in the Pentagon’s $40 billion KC-X tanker competition only to have the win taken away, announced on Monday that it will not re-submit its bid, citing unfairness in the contest with Boeing. (more)

The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been plagued by large numbers of complex, hard-to-treat combat-related injuries—a circumstance that has increasingly put the topic of electronic health record systems in the spotlight. However, fresh scrutiny of government procurement efforts relating to EHR systems has raised serious questions about what is being done to ensure that those returning home from combat receive the best possible care—something that is not the foregone conclusion one might expect. (more)

In a move that could strike a major blow to defense contractor Northrop Grumman amid a competitive bid to build Air Force tankers, an ardent supporter of rival Boeing will likely take over the gavel from the late Rep. John Murtha as chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. (more)

WASHINGTON — A US Senator has taken the extraordinary step of blocking more than 70 of US President Barack Obama’s nominees amid a dispute over a lucrative US Air Force tanker deal, senate aides said Friday. (more)