PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

General Discussion of Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits [Abstract]

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

The following table is a consolidated disclosure of all domestic and foreign defined benefit pension plans as described in the Corporation’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.  

Pension Plans

The components of net periodic pension cost for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 are as follows:

	(In thousands)
	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2017			2016
Service cost	$	6,471		$	6,237
Interest cost	6,219			7,703
Expected return on plan assets	(13,285		)	(13,581		)
Amortization of prior service cost	(25		)	(12		)
Amortization of unrecognized actuarial loss	3,581			3,093
Net periodic benefit cost	$	2,961		$	3,440

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Corporation made no contributions to the Curtiss-Wright Pension Plan, and does not expect to make any contributions in 2017. Contributions to the foreign benefit plans are not expected to be material in 2017.

Defined Contribution Retirement Plan

Effective January 1, 2014, all non-union employees who were not currently receiving final or career average pay benefits became eligible to receive employer contributions in the Corporation's sponsored 401(k) plan. The employer contributions include both employer match and non-elective contribution components, up to a maximum employer contribution of 6% of eligible compensation.  During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, the expense relating to the plan was $3.7 million and $3.2 million, respectively.  The Corporation made $8.1 million in contributions to the plan for the first quarter of 2017, and expects to make total contributions of $11.8 million in 2017.