Northrop Grumman Lands in Falls Church

Nearly three months after announcing plans to move its corporate headquarters to Virginia, defense contracting giant Northrop Grumman has settled on a specific location, striking a deal to purchase an existing building in Falls Church.

The company, currently based in Los Angeles, said that it plans to initiate operations at the facility, located on Fairview Park Drive, in the summer of 2011 with employees from its Los Angeles and Arlington offices. Northrop, which employs approximately 40,000 people in Maryland, Virginia and DC, had been negotiating with several building owners in the Falls Church and Arlington areas.

The company announced in January that it would move to the DC area to be in closer proximity to its government customers, sparking a furious competition between local jurisdictions to lure the Fortune 100 company with tax breaks and other incentives.