Prototype of Northrop Air Force Fighter Has Successful Test Flight

Most of the news about Northrop Corp. and its Pico Rivera plant has been bad this year, with 1,400 job reductions scheduled and the B-2 bomber program on the brink of curtailment.

But last week for a change, Northrop and its Pico Rivera employees have something to crow about: the successful first test flight of a prototype for the Air Force’s new advanced tactical fighter at Edwards Air Force Base.

Northrop heads one of two teams competing to win the contract to build the jet, which is expected to become the next-generation fighter plane. Northrop officials say research and development for the fighter would take place in Pico Rivera.

If Northrop wins the contract--and industry insiders give them the edge--the company’s financial future could be secure into the next century. The Defense Department wants to buy 750 of the fighters at a cost (in 1985 dollars) of $43.5 million per plane. These funds have yet to be approved by Congress.

The Defense Department is expected to decide between the Northrop and Lockheed Corp. teams next spring. Lockheed’s prototype has not flown yet.