Litton Picks Alton J. Brann to Lead Systems Group

Litton Industries named Alton J. Brann to head its Navigation, Guidance & Control Systems group in Woodland Hills.

Brann, 44, was previously president of Litton’s Guidance & Control Systems division, also in Woodland Hills. The division is a level below the Navigation, Guidance & Control Systems group in Litton’s corporate structure.

In his new position, Brann replaces Roland O. Peterson, 53, who has moved to another group executive post at Litton’s Industrial Products group in Beverly Hills.

Succeeding Brann as division president is John M. Leonis, 52, who had been vice president for engineering at the division.

Brann, a native of Portland, Me., studied mathematics at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. He worked for Dynamics Research in Wilmington, Mass., before joining Litton’s Guidance & Control Systems division in 1973.

He went on to serve as director of reliability, director of engineering and vice president of engineering. He was named president of the division in 1983, and a corporate vice president a year later.

Leonis graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in electrical engineering in 1959, then joined Litton. Before becoming vice president for engineering, Leonis had worked in quality control and software design.

Beverly Hills-based Litton employs more than 3,800 in Woodland Hills, most of whom work on military navigation systems.