Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Unaudited)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2025

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

1.    SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Principles of Consolidation and Reporting

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (the “financial statements”) include the accounts of Northrop Grumman Corporation and its subsidiaries and joint ventures or other investments for which we consolidate the financial results (herein referred to as “Northrop Grumman,” the “company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). Intercompany accounts, transactions and profits are eliminated in consolidation. Investments in equity securities and joint ventures where the company has significant influence, but not control, are accounted for using the equity method.

Effective July 1, 2024, the company realigned the Strategic Deterrent Systems (SDS) division, which includes the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (“Sentinel”) program, from Space Systems to Defense Systems. Effective January 1, 2025, the company realigned the Strike and Surveillance Aircraft Solutions (SSAS) business unit from Defense Systems to Aeronautics Systems. These realignments are reflected in the financial information contained in this report.

The financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP” or “FAS”) and in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim reporting. The financial statements include adjustments of a normal recurring nature considered necessary by management for a fair presentation of the company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows. For classification of certain current assets and liabilities, we consider the duration of our customer contracts when defining our operating cycle, which is generally longer than one year.

Results reported in the financial statements are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the entire year. The financial statements should be read in conjunction with the information contained in the company’s 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Quarterly information is labeled using a calendar convention; that is, first quarter is consistently labeled as ending on March 31, second quarter as ending on June 30 and third quarter as ending on September 30. It is the company’s long-standing practice to establish actual interim closing dates using a “fiscal” calendar, in which we close our books on a Friday near these quarter-end dates in order to normalize the potentially disruptive effects of quarterly closings on business processes. This practice is only used at interim periods within a reporting year.

Accounting Estimates

Preparation of the financial statements requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingencies at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of sales and expenses during the reporting period. Estimates have been prepared using the most current and best available information; however, actual results could differ materially from those estimates.

Revenue Recognition

Contract Estimates

Contract sales may include estimates of variable consideration, including cost or performance incentives (such as award and incentive fees), un-priced change orders, requests for equitable adjustment (REAs) and contract claims. Variable consideration is included in total estimated sales to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. We estimate variable consideration as the most likely amount to which we expect to be entitled.

We recognize changes in estimated contract sales or costs and the resulting changes in contract profit on a cumulative basis. Net estimate-at-completion (EAC) adjustments represent the cumulative effect of the changes on current and prior periods; sales and operating margins in future periods are recognized as if the revised estimates had been used since contract inception. If it is determined that a loss is expected to result on an individual performance obligation, the entire amount of the estimable future loss, including an allocation of general and administrative expense, is charged against income in the period the loss is identified.

B-21 Program

During the fourth quarter of 2023, we recognized a projected loss of $1.56 billion across the five low-rate initial production (LRIP) options on the B-21 program. During the first quarter of 2025, we recognized an additional $477 million loss across the five LRIP options. This additional loss largely relates to higher manufacturing costs

primarily resulting 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. The additional loss comprises $226 million of unfavorable EAC adjustments on the first and second LRIP lots and a $251 million loss contingency accrual for lots 3-5, which have not yet been exercised. As of March 31, 2025, the remaining loss accrual on the B-21 program totaled $1.7 billion, which is included in Other current liabilities.

Net EAC Adjustments

The following table presents the effect of aggregate net EAC adjustments:

	Three Months Ended March 31
$ in millions, except per share data	2025		2024
Revenue	$	38	$	74
Operating income	(100)		94
Net earnings(1)	(79)		74
Diluted earnings per share(1)	(0.55)		0.50

(1)Based on a 21 percent federal statutory tax rate.

EAC adjustments on a single performance obligation can have a significant effect on the company’s financial statements. When such adjustments occur, we generally disclose the nature, underlying conditions and financial impact of the adjustments. During the first quarter of 2025, the company recorded a $226 million unfavorable EAC adjustment on the first and second LRIP lots of the B-21 program at Aeronautics Systems, as described above. No EAC adjustments on a single performance obligation had a significant impact on the financial statements during the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Backlog

Backlog represents the future sales we expect to recognize on firm orders received by the company and is equivalent to the company’s remaining performance obligations at the end of each period. It comprises both funded backlog (firm orders for which funding is authorized and appropriated) and unfunded backlog. Unexercised contract options and indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts are not included in backlog until the time an option or IDIQ task order is exercised or awarded. Backlog is converted into sales as costs are incurred or deliveries are made.

Company backlog as of March 31, 2025 was $92.8 billion. Of our March 31, 2025 backlog, we expect to recognize approximately 40 percent as revenue over the next 12 months and 65 percent as revenue over the next 24 months, with the remainder to be recognized thereafter.

Contract Assets and Liabilities

For each of the company’s contracts, the timing of revenue recognition, customer billings, and cash collections results in a net contract asset or liability at the end of each reporting period. Contract assets are equivalent to and reflected as Unbilled receivables in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of financial position and are primarily related to long-term contracts where revenue recognized under the cost-to-cost method exceeds amounts billed to customers. Contract liabilities are equivalent to and reflected as Advance payments and billings in excess of costs incurred in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of financial position. The amount of revenue recognized for each of the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 that was included in the contract liability balances at the beginning of each year was $1.9 billion.

Disaggregation of Revenue

See Note 10 for information regarding the company’s sales by customer type, contract type and geographic region for each of our segments. We believe those categories best depict how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of our revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Non-cash investing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 include capital expenditures incurred but not yet paid of $44 million and $63 million, respectively.

Pending Divestiture of Training Services Business

On January 29, 2025, the company entered into a definitive agreement to sell substantially all of the Immersive Mission Solutions (IMS) operating unit of Defense Systems for $327 million in cash. IMS is a provider of mission training and satellite ground network communications software for U.S. government customers. The transaction, which is subject to final government approvals and closing conditions, is expected to be completed mid-year 2025. The carrying amounts of the major classes of assets and liabilities of the IMS business were classified as held for sale and included in Prepaid and other current assets and Other current liabilities, respectively, in the condensed consolidated statement of financial position as of March 31, 2025. We expect to recognize an after-tax gain of approximately $150 million when the transaction closes.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

The components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, are as follows:

$ in millions	March 31, 2025		December 31, 2024
Cumulative translation adjustment	$	(138)	$	(140)
Other, net	(4)		(12)
Total accumulated other comprehensive loss	$	(142)	$	(152)

Related Party Transactions

For all periods presented, the company had no material related party transactions.

Accounting Standards Updates

On December 14, 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09 Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. ASU 2023-09 requires companies to disclose, on an annual basis, specific categories in the effective tax rate reconciliation and provide additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold. In addition, ASU 2023-09 requires companies to disclose additional information about income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 will be effective for annual periods beginning January 1, 2025 and will be applied on a prospective basis with the option to apply the standard retrospectively. We are evaluating the disclosure impact of ASU 2023-09; however, the standard will not have an impact on the company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

On November 4, 2024, the FASB issued ASU No. 2024-03 Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (Subtopic 220-40). ASU 2024-03 requires disaggregation of certain expense captions into specified categories in disclosures within the footnotes to the financial statements. ASU 2024-03 will be effective for annual periods beginning January 1, 2027 and interim periods beginning January 1, 2028 and will be applied on a prospective basis with the option to apply the standard retrospectively. We are evaluating the disclosure impact of ASU 2023-09; however, we do not expect the standard will have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Other accounting standards updates adopted and/or issued, but not effective until after March 31, 2025, are not expected to have a material effect on the company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations and/or cash flows.

Related Party Transactions Disclosure

Related Party Transactions

For all periods presented, the company had no material related party transactions.