Tier 2 suppliers may be less well-known than Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs, but that doesn’t mean their role in the manufacturing chain is any less important.

PALMDALE, CA—The U.S. Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman an $80 billion contract to build the new Long Range Strike Bomber.

PALMDALE, CA—Assemblers at Northrop Grumman Corp.’s plant here recently started to use an optical projection system to build the center fuselage of the F-35 Lighting II fighter jet. The facility was the recipient of ASSEMBLY’s 2013 Assembly Plant of the Year award.

WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has awarded Oshkosh Defense a $30 billion contract to build nearly 55,000 joint light tactical vehicles for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps over the next 25 years.

TROY, AL—Lockheed Martin plans to expand its missile assembly plant here and add 240 employees.

CAMDEN, NJ—The New Jersey Economic Development Authority has awarded defense contractor Lockheed Martin another $107 million in tax credits over the next 10 years. The defense contractor will use the tax savings to defray costs of two R&D labs the company has proposed to open here.

TROY, MI—Contract manufacturer Unified Business Technologies could add 171 jobs over the next three years after winning an Army contract to make components for surveillance and communications.

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI—Submarine maker Electric Boat plans to double its workforce in Rhode Island to build a new class of submarines under a $95 billion Navy program.