PRESS RELEASE
August 27, 2026
What is the Advanced Technology Lab (ATL) & Who it Serves
The Northrop Grumman Advanced Technology Lab (ATL), located in Linthicum Heights, MD, is a U.S. government-accredited foundry, assembly, and test site for semiconductors used in microelectronics that make up everyday civilian technologies as well as military technologies. The ATL is part of Northrop Grumman’s Microelectronics Center, which consists of two foundries (Linthicum Heights, MD and Redondo Beach, CA) and one packaging center (Apopka, FL). The ATL has been producing microelectronics for more than 50 years with annual deliveries exceeding 1,200,000,000 devices per year. The ATL’s major client is the U.S. Department of War. The other partners of Northrup Grumman’s Microelectronics Center include Lockheed Martin, Nokia, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab.
ATL’s Potential Role in the F-35 Program
The ATL is known for producing microchips which can be found in fighter jets, Apache helicopters, radar systems, the James Webb Space telescope, and other technologies. Research conducted by local grassroots organizers suggests that microchips produced by the ATL may be used specifically in Northrup Grumman’s AN/APG-81 radar system, which is known to be a key component of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II jet.
Northrop Grumman publicly states that its AN/APG-81 radar system, which is also produced in Linthicum Heights, MD, allows the F-35 Lightning II jet to track targets and deploy weapons before said targets ever even see or detect it. Although the ATL does not publicly acknowledge that its that microchips are used in these radar systems, the ATL’s known role in the broader US military supply chain and its geographic proximity to Northrop Grumman’s other facilities producing defense electronics suggests that the Lab may be potentially involved in the F-35 supply chain in particular.
Why Does It Matter?
For years, we seen how F-35s have been systematically used to bomb innocent civilians and destroy hospitals, schools and other essential civilian infrastructure in occupied Palestine — all of which, according to the International Criminal Court, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. If microchips produced by the ATL are indeed used in the F-35’s AN/APG-81 radar system, the ATL is complicit in war crimes.
Who Else May Be Involved?
Publicly-available sources show that Northrup Grumman’s AN/APG-81 radars are delivered to various branches of the U.S. Government, which then provides the radars to Lockheed Martin for installation in F-35s. Preliminary investigations conducted by local grassroots organizers suggest that multiple shipping companies may be contracted with Northrup Grumman for the purpose of transporting its products, including UPS, FedEx, XPO Logistics, Pitt Ohio, and other shipping companies observed to be servicing the ATL.
For more information please contact:
Al-Aqsa Swim Club (AASC)
contact@aascbaltimore.com
Disclaimer: The background research for this report was conducted using publicly available sources; organizers had no access to internal connections within Northrop Grumman or its affiliates. Given that military technology is constantly evolving, some of the technological details presented in this report may potentially not be up-to-date.