I recently spoke with Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Adam Gross, a former Northrop Grumman executive who managed Strategic Communications and Creative Content. His job was crafting narratives that would capture public attention around one of America’s largest defense contractors.
With Northrop Grumman managing tens of billions in contracts and thousands of programs, I asked Adam to highlight his most important work. While he enjoyed promoting headline-grabbing projects like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)—a virtual time machine looking back to the Big Bang—he focused on a less glamorous but critical mission: shifting public perception of Northrop from a supporting subcontractor to a prime contractor. This reputation was crucial when competing against Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the next stealth bomber contract, the B-21, which Northrop won in 2015.
The Prime Contractor Problem
To understand the stakes, Adam pointed to the F-35 Stealth Fighter, currently the U.S. Military’s largest procurement program. “The F-35 is a Lockheed program,” he explained. “They’re the prime contractor—the government awards them the contract, and the buck stops with Lockheed. But Northrop builds a considerable percentage of the airplane as a subcontractor, including the airframe, avionics, and logistics planning.”
Despite Northrop’s significant role in building aircraft, “Northrop wasn’t as much of a household name as Lockheed and Boeing,” Adam said. “I was part of the team that built the narrative of Northrop as a prime contractor capable of building not just one-off satellites like JWST, but over a hundred of the most advanced aircraft—the B-21.”
This narrative became especially important because much of Northrop’s revenue came from classified projects. “We used the story of the B-2 to tell the government we know how to build large airframes as a prime contractor,” Adam explained. Beyond aerospace, Northrop also wanted to showcase its technological innovation to compete for talent with startups and established tech companies.
The Flying Wing Legacy
When I asked why Northrop dominates U.S. stealth bombers, Adam immediately pointed to the company’s history with flying wing aircraft design. “Northrop famously developed a flying wing, the YB-49, in the 1940s,” he noted. John “Jack” Northrop couldn’t have known his 1940s design would plant seeds for one of the world’s greatest stealth bombers—85 years later!
The B-2’s creation in the 1980s elevated Northrop to top-tier prime contractor status. “We were fighting a perception that Boeing was the natural company to build a bomber,” Adam said. “Building a bomber was a bit of a swing for Northrop.” The B-2’s technical breakthroughs included not just its unique radar-evading airframe, but also special paint that inhibits enemy radar detection. Other stealth measures remain classified.
“Northrop was already thinking about flying wing capability 40 years before the B-2,” Adam recalled. “Even though the B-2 would be light-years more advanced than the YB-49, we emphasized that the stealthy wing airframe was in the company’s DNA.” Northrop also built the X-47, an unmanned Navy jet demonstrator with a “cranked kite” airframe similar to the B-2’s “sawtooth” design. In 2013, the X-47 became the first unmanned, tailless aircraft to land and take off from an aircraft carrier (the USS George H.W. Bush). “I believe this also strengthened our credentials as the right company to build the B-21,” Adam said.
The Future of Stealth Bombers
When I asked about the impact of the new sixth-generation B-21 Raider on Northrop and the aerospace world, Adam responded, “The B-21 will build upon Northrop’s legacy with the B-2 bomber.” Like the B-2, the new design is based on Northrop’s original flying wing: “The basic airframe and silhouette is based on the flying wing—the seed was planted after WWII for the most hi-tech bombers we see today. But the B-21’s airframe and stealth qualities will represent a technological quantum leap forward from even the sophisticated B-2.”
However, Adam was cautious about technology exports. “I’m not involved with the B-21 program and left Northrop several years ago. But there are export controls around sensitive technology and sometimes entire aircraft. America’s security comes first. I would doubt the B-21, just as with the B-2, is a program that will have international buyers like the F-35. A Stealth strategic bomber is just not comparable to a fighter jet when it comes to export markets.”
Adam also addressed the B-2’s notorious cost with some reports claiming the aircraft cost $2 billion per plane. “It’s all about economies of scale. The government originally wanted over 100 B-2s, but after the fall of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe, they said we don’t need these bombers as much anymore.” The order was cancelled, and only 21 B-2s were built, with 19 remaining in service. “A huge percentage of the money goes into development, engineering, and low-rate production,” Adam explained. “Once figured out, it would have become much cheaper to produce each B-2.” He defended the cost, even with the eye-watering price tag: “It’s an amazing aircraft. It’s nuclear-capable and can fly missions no other aircraft can. That bunker buster bomb used in Iran can only be carried by the B-2 as of now.”
Silicon Valley Meets Defense
The rise of artificial intelligence will shake up the defense sector, Adam believes. He described it as “a time of great turmoil and change in the aerospace and defense industry.” Adam predicts “Silicon Valley will be both subcontractors and prime contractors in the future of defense and aerospace,” adding that “Silicon Valley will push these companies to do things faster and cheaper, or Silicon Valley will do things themselves.”
“It’s already happening,” he said confidently. “Silicon Valley will drive down costs and accelerate development schedules. These companies operate faster than traditional defense companies.” He emphasized AI’s revolutionary potential: “AI can calculate some areas much faster than traditional software. It will be used in mission planning, flight controls, and it will be revolutionary.”
VSS Enterprise Tragedy
When I asked about his most challenging day, Adam recalled October 31, 2014: “Northrop owns Scale Composites, which built Virgin Galactic. They did a test of SpaceShip Two (VSS Enterprise), and the aircraft crashed.” The tragedy killed one test pilot and seriously injured another. “That was a tough day,” Adam reflected. “It was a time when you wanted to celebrate great technology and a huge milestone. But real life isn’t a Hollywood movie. You have to remember how dangerous it is to build aircraft, especially revolutionary designs, and how incredibly dangerous it is for people to fly them.”
The Bottom Line
Speaking with Adam revealed the layers between what we see on the news and the reality of aerospace company politics. Northrop’s story isn’t just about stealth bombers or classified productions—it’s about creating public perception people can believe in and trust. From the YB-49 to our AI-driven future, storytelling and strategy are essential in the defense world. Great stories don’t just shape public perception; they impact a company’s bottom line for decades and affect national security.
If all goes according to plan, Northrop and its partners will build over 100 B-21 bombers that, like the B-2, may serve for the next 50 years. Now that would be a true Hollywood ending.
