Latest news with #Northrop
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Yahoo
Wisconsin city approves new Cruising Ordinances, authority to impound vehicles
JANESVILLE, Wis. (WFRV) – Officers with a southern Wisconsin city announced the passing of the city's amendments to the Anti-Cruising Ordinances, including granting police the authority to impound and tow offending vehicles. A release from the Janesville Police Department that was directed towards Janesville citizens and to 'those from around the region who come to Janesville to 'cruise the strip,'' announced the new changes to Janesville's Anti-Cruising Ordinances. Officers say that in January, the Janesville City Council voted to approve the amendments, which have been proposed over the last few years to no avail. 'Probably a first for Wautoma': Man arrested for soliciting Dollar General employees for sex The new amendments now reportedly include Milton Avenue and the 'northeast business corridor.' Additionally, the new ordinance grants police the authority to impound and tow unregistered vehicles, as well as vehicles operated by reckless drivers. Regarding the question of 'Why?' this was the Janesville Police Department's response: Now, some of you may be asking, 'Why? They aren't hurting anyone.' Well, officers spend a considerable amount of time responding to a range of complaints, including noise disturbances, disorderly conduct calls, fights that have resulted in serious injuries, crashes, OWIs/underage drinking, vandalism, stabbings, and shootings, just to name a few. Moreover, this has been a long-standing nuisance for our residents and those visiting our city. Sgt. Thomas Northrop, Janesville Police Department LegalMatch described the act of cruising as driving to socialize or to see and be seen, not to reach a specific destination. It usually occurs when several vehicles come to a certain spot at a certain time for the specific purpose of cruising the area. Fond du Lac man arrested after crash, short pursuit on suspicion of OWI 'You will begin to see more traffic officers in the designated areas, and we will be taking a proactive approach to enforce all traffic and equipment violations. Our goal is not to harass individuals, but rather to improve the quality of life for everyone who lives in and visits the area. We look forward to your cooperation,' Sgt. Northrop went on to say. No additional information was provided. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Northrop tests tech to help hypersonic vehicles maneuver without GPS
Two recent groundbreaking hypersonic test flights featured a Northrop Grumman capability designed to allow high-speed systems to navigate and maneuver when GPS isn't available. The company told Defense News this week that its inertial measurement unit, or IMU, flew onboard Stratolaunch's Talon-A glide vehicle during its first two hypersonic flights in December and March. The successful demonstration of IMU technology on a hypersonic aircraft — which can travel and maneuver at speeds of Mach 5 or higher — is an industry first, according to Jonathan Green, Northrop's chief technology officer for emerging capabilities development. 'It met all of our goals … and the fact that it survived throughout this first flight test — these are all incredibly positive developments for how we're maturing this technology,' he said in an interview. The Pentagon disclosed the Talon-A tests this week, marking the first successful flights of a reusable hypersonic vehicle since the X-15 program ended in 1968. The U.S. in recent years has increased its investment in high-speed weaponry and aircraft, and Stratolaunch's testbed reflects a renewed urgency to create test opportunities for the components and subsystems needed to support major hypersonic development efforts. Northrop's Advanced Hypersonic Technology IMU is designed to allow high-speed systems to navigate without GPS — a capability that could be disrupted by adverse weather, difficult terrain or enemy jamming and spoofing. Using advanced sensors to understand how a platform is moving through its environment, the IMU calculates where the system has traveled and what path it needs to take to continue on its trajectory. According to Josei Chang, senior director of advanced technologies at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, the system performed as expected during the flight tests and accurately calculated the vehicle's path. While Northrop has developed IMUs for spacecraft, this version is a smaller, more rugged system, repackaged to fit on an air vehicle and designed to survive the harsh conditions of Mach 5 flight. 'What we have done within Northrop Grumman is to develop an inertial navigation technology that really started from our lineage in space-based inertial navigation,' Green said. 'We took that capability, that portfolio of technology, and enhanced it.' The hypersonic flights represent a significant milestone for the system, which is still in the research and development phase. An abstract for an upcoming navigation conference notes Northrop is developing IMU technology in partnership with the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Systems Center, but the company declined to confirm whether it has any formal development partners or contracts. Northrop plans to test the IMU on a sounding rocket sometime this quarter and is also eyeing another test event later this year at Holloman Air Force Base in Utah. That test will focus on how the system performs in an environment with high gravitational force. The company is also closely tracking Talon-A's test schedule, though Green wouldn't confirm whether the IMU would be on Stratolaunch's next flight, slated for this spring or summer. 'This partnership that we've had with Stratolaunch to get the system out there and get it tested was absolutely critical,' he said. 'It does speak to the importance of being able to test these things and have the resources to test these things.'
CNBC
29-04-2025
- Business
- CNBC
This defense stock got rocked after earnings. How to bet on a rebound with options
Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC) plunged after missing earnings expectations last week. While this was definitely material news, a look at the three-year weekly chart shows the stock finding solid footing around the $450 multi-year support level — and it's already starting to show signs of a rebound. Even though several analysts have trimmed their ratings, the median price target still sits at $545 — a lot higher than where NOC is trading right now. Also worth noting: Northrop is part of the industrials sector, and a quick glance at XLI — the Industrials Select Sector SPDR ETF — shows that the group is looking strong and actively participating in the broader market recovery rally. Technical Indicators To zero in on a trade setup, I'm layering in a couple more technical indicators to confirm the signal and improve the odds of success. RSI (Relative Strength Index): Notice that the RSI pivoted on 4/22 and is now moving sharply higher, signaling a potential shift in trend. DMI (Directional Movement Index): The DMI (Directional Movement Index) is made up of three lines: the DI+ (green line), the DI- (red line), and the ADX (blue line). When the DI- (red) is above the DI+ (green), it signals a downtrend. But when these lines start to change direction, it often points to a potential shift in the current trend. In this case, the DI- (red) pivoted on 4/22, and the DI+ (green) followed with a clear reversal on 4/25, giving even more confirmation for this trade setup. To take a bullish trade on NOC, I'm setting up a strategy known as a "bull call spread." This involves buying the $480 call and simultaneously selling the $485 call, combining them into a single trade structure The trade Here is my exact trade setup: Buy $480 call, May 30th expiry Sell $485 call, May 30th expiry Cost: $250 Potential Profit: $250 If NOC trades at or above $485 by the expiration date, this trade could yield a return of 100% on the amount risked. With 10 contracts, this equates to risking $2500 to potentially gain $2500. I dive deep into setups like this in my book Mean Reversion Trading , along with hundreds of real trade examples available on my website: . -Nishant Pant Founder: Author: Mean Reversion Trading Youtube, Twitter: @TheMeanTrader DISCLOSURES: (None) All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL'S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished at Northrop Grumman, as Cost Improvements Cut Profits in Half
Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) stock is in a funk. With the company reporting earnings on Tuesday, the stock promptly tanked 12.6%. Rebounding briefly on Wednesday, Northrop then proceeded to resume sliding a day later before bouncing again on Friday. It's not hard to guess why. Year over year, Northrop Grumman suffered a significant slide in sales as two of its business segments -- its two biggest business segments, aeronautics and space -- saw sales weaken by 8% and 18%, respectively, in the first quarter. Modest gains in the company's other two, smaller businesses of defense and mission systems weren't enough to keep sales stable. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » Total sales across the company fell 7%. Operating profit at the defense company declined as well. Indeed, it was cut roughly in half, down 46% at $573 million for the quarter. Operating profit margins shrank 450 basis points to just 6.1%. Earnings per share tumbled 47% to just $3.32 per share, and free cash flow ran negative to the tune of $1.8 billion. So it was pretty much miserable news all around. Most pundits focused on a single aspect of the news, the 18% fall-off in sales at the company's space business. Northrop blamed the decline on the "wind-down of work on the restricted space and Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) programs, which reduced sales by $228 million, as well as decreases for Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) missions, Space Development Agency (SDA) satellite programs and other restricted space programs." That's a pretty big list of programs responsible for the decline, though. It might have taken less time for Northrop to list space programs that were not responsible! On the plus side, at least profit margins on the sales Northrop did make in space inched higher, rising 50 basis points to 11%. Also, it's worth pointing out that despite all its troubles, Northrop still managed to earn $283 million in operating profit from its space work. That's not as much as it earned a year ago, but it's still a decent number. To my mind, therefore, Northrop's bigger issue in Q1 wasn't its space business at all, but rather its aeronautics division -- the business segment responsible for building Northrop Grumman's new B-21 stealth bomber. Northrop has been doing tremendous work on the B-21 project, which has been praised by defense market analysts and the U.S. Air Force alike for its "smooth progress" and for "coming in under budget" -- a rarity in defense contracting. Indeed, by some estimates the B-21's looking likely to cost taxpayers as much as 28% less than it was originally forecast to cost. That's great news for taxpayers. It's unfortunately turning out to be less-great news for Northrop Grumman shareholders, however, at least in the short term. Explaining why its profits got cut roughly in half last quarter, management said, "The loss [for Northrop's aeronautics unit, not for the whole company] largely relates to higher manufacturing costs ... from a process change made by the company to enable an accelerated production ramp, as well as increases in the projected cost and quantity of general procurement materials." In other words, parts and materials needed to build the B-21 cost more in the quarter, and Northrop didn't pass those on to the government. To the contrary, Northrop made efforts to drive costs down further, and accelerate production -- and ate those costs, too! So basically, Northrop Grumman took one for the team last quarter. Should its stock be punished for that? Not necessarily. Look, I've made no secret of the fact that I'm not thrilled with the valuation on Northrop Grumman stock. Like many other defense stocks, I think Northrop stock costs too much. Although its valuation has shrunk over the course of this year's slow-burn sell-off, Northrop Grumman stock still sells for nearly 1.7 times trailing sales, more than 18 times earnings, and a staggering 37 times free cash flow, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Northrop's also guiding for low-single-digit sales growth this year (just 2% or 3%), and for less profit than Wall Street wants to see (perhaps as little as $25 per share). Still, Northrop's space business remains profitable. Its defense business is working hard to ramp production on the B-21, and performing in a manner that's likely to endear it to cost-cutters in the Trump administration. If there's any fairness in the world, that should translate into additional contract wins for Northrop as it proves itself to be the rare defense contractor that knows how to deliver cutting-edge products on time and on (or even under) budget. If you liked Northrop Grumman stock before this week's sell-off, and weren't scared off by the pricey valuation then, I don't necessarily think you should sell it now that it's nearly 12% cheaper, just because it's making investments to do its job even better and more efficiently in the future. Before you buy stock in Northrop Grumman, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Northrop Grumman wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $594,046!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $680,390!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 872% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 160% for the S&P 500. 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Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
New Views Of China's Next Generation Fighters
Flight testing of China's two new next-generation fighter designs is continuing apace and offering new insights into both aircraft. The latest imagery of the larger of the two designs, commonly — but unofficially — called the J-36, offers the clearest look to date at the exhausts for its three engines and a new angle into its possible two-seat cockpit. Additional views of the second type, referred to variously as the J-XDS and J-50, show the interesting bay configuration on the side of the fuselage immediately behind the air intake and highlight other distinctive features like its swiveling wingtip control surfaces. TWZ has previously published a highly detailed analysis of both the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50, which readers can find here. There are no clear indications that the latest pictures and videos of the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 have been fabricated, but this remains a possibility, albeit a very small one. Versions of some pictures of the aircraft that have been deliberately enhanced using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to try to glean more details are known to be circulating online. Many phone cameras now produce images that are similarly 'smoothed' by default, as well. The newest views of the J-36 in a video and associated still images, seen in the social media posts below, which are said to have been shot in the city of Chengdu. The Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, which has its main plant there, is responsible for the aircraft. Finally got my hands on this video! Crystal-clear footage of Chengdu's 6th-generation fighter jet soaring over Chengdu Airport. Absolutely amazing! #Chengdu6thGenFighter# — GaoFrank (@gaofrank75) April 23, 2025 Wow! I hope this latest image of the J-36 is legit but usually @琴石2022 on Weibo is quite credible! — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 As noted, the new rear aspect view of the J-36 gives the clearest look we've seen at the engine exhausts for its trio of engines, which is already a highly unusual feature of the aircraft. As seen below, we can now see 'petals' extending out over the top of the exhaust trenches that sit inward of the aircraft's tailing edge. This only underscores TWZ's previous analysis about the J-36's exhaust configuration and its major similarities in form and function to that found on Northrop's YF-23. The YF-23 also notably featured an exotic intake design with boundary layer pores to help improve airflow, as you can learn more about here. As we have previously written about the J-36's exhaust arrangement in general: 'This is a clear low-observable play both for radar and infrared signature management. Recessing the engine exhaust before the aircraft's upper trailing edge is a classic low-observable design element that Northrop largely pioneered with Tacit Blue, B-2 Spirit, and YF-23. The ejected exhaust is spread out and has the potential to be actively cooled by this upper deck area. Above all else, this provides very limited line-of-sight to the engine exhausts themselves, which helps significantly in minimizing infrared signature, as well as radar cross-section, from most aspects.' The J-36 video also offers a new view into the aircraft's cockpit. Since the aircraft first emerged publicly, there has been speculation that it may have a two-seat cockpit with side-by-side seating. The imagery we have now is still inconclusive on this detail, but the possibility that two distinct heads-up displays may be visible has been raised by Andreas Rupprecht, a longtime Chinese military observer and contributor to this website. No, it clearly looks like two HUDs — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 Additional pictures and videos of the J-XDS/J-50 from the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation have also been circulating online in the past week or so. And the same one in cut-out form …(Images via @Captain小潇 on Weibo by OPPOFind 8) — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 Original image — John Jones (@nibelogn1996) April 17, 2025 Another set of images showing SAC's J-XDS prototype with its landing gear down and from the side … unfortunately still very small & blurry!(Images via @琴石2022 from Weibo) — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 A test flight of Shenyang's sixth-generation aircraft took place today. It is clearly visible that the aircraft's swiveling wingtips are rotating. — 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) April 23, 2025 As mentioned, most interestingly, a bay of some kind with a pronounced bulge at the front is now plainly visible on at least the right side of the fuselage behind the air intake. It is also positioned right in front of the main landing bay on that side of the aircraft. Whether or not the J-XDS/J-50's bay may be for weapons or intended to serve some other purpose is unknown. Questions have already been raised about whether there is enough internal space in this part of the aircraft to hold a relevant munition. It is worth noting here that China's J-20 stealth fighter has weapons bays in roughly the same location, which also have a novel configuration wherein the missiles inside pop out fully along with their launch rails before firing, as you can read more about here. We also have much clearer views of the J-XDS/J-50's unique swiveling wingtip control surfaces. TWZ has previously assessed that these wingtips most likely help provide additional stability for the tailless aircraft, and has explored the advantages and disadvantages of such a design decision in detail. No idea yet, but also interesting what looks like massive actuators … — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 Though any new details about the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 continue to draw particular attention, they represent just a portion of significant military aviation development efforts known to be ongoing in China, as well as additional work assumed to be going on outside of the public eye. Also today, a satellite image available through Google Earth began circulating online showing a curious object with a stealth fighter-like appearance, including a modified diamond-like delta platform, canards, and twin vertical tails, on the apron in front of the passenger terminal at Jining Qufu Airport in Shandong Province in eastern China. Additional satellite imagery from Planet Labs that TWZ reviews shows that it has been there since at least September 2024. This is all doubly curious given that Jining Qufu Airport, which had been collocated with the People's Liberation Army Air Force's (PLAAF) Jining Air Base, was officially closed in December 2023. What the 'airframe' is unclear, but it seems very likely to be a mock-up of some kind. It shows some rough similarities, but also significant differences to the Baidi Type-B, also known as the 'White Emperor,' an entirely fictional 'space fighter' design that the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) displayed at the 2024 Zhuhai airshow. Comparisons have also already been drawn to vaguely J-20-esque 'shapes' that emerged at the remote Lintao Air Base in north-central China in 2022. However, the structure of the wings and the nose of the object at Jining are distinctly different from those previously seen at Lintao, which may also be mock-ups or decoys. A video is also now making the rounds on social media that has prompted questions about whether yet another new Chinese advanced military aircraft has emerged. What can be gleaned from the video is limited given how far away the aircraft is in the footage and its overall quality. Its provenance is also not immediately clear. What can be seen does not immediately appear to directly align with any known Chinese designs. Its overall shape also does not fit with a still-unidentified tailless fighter-like airframe that emerged at Shenyang's main plant in January, which TWZ was first to report on. China is reportedly testing a third platform in northern China, according to the latest visuals that have emerged on social aircraft appears to be different from the two previously known tailless designs currently undergoing is still too early to… — International Defence Analysis (@Defence_IDA) April 23, 2025 Yes and as I noted here I'm confused … it is so much blurry. The best guess would be some sort of UAV/UCAV. We simply need to wait for more. — @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) April 23, 2025 At the same time, it would hardly be the first time a new advanced Chinese aircraft design has emerged suddenly. The dramatic appearance of the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 flying on December 26th last year, despite no imagery having previously emerged of either aircraft, is a prime example. Ongoing testing of the J-36 and J-XDS/J-50 is certainly continuing to reveal new details about those designs. We had previously predicted that reasonably high-resolution images of the two aircraft would emerge by early summer in line with the pattern of past Chinese rolling 'leaks.' If other advanced Chinese military aircraft are now flying or are otherwise progressing into the latter stages of development, additional details may well begin to emerge about them, as well. Contact the author: joe@
