BETHESDA, Md. – March 19, 2008 – Iridium® Satellite today announced that it has reached an agreement to appoint Sperry Marine, a Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) business unit, as the global support partner for Iridium OpenPort optimized-bandwidth marine satellite systems.

“The alliance with Sperry Marine is an important element in our strategy for rapidly capturing a significant market share in the marine broadband sector this year,” said Greg Ewert, executive vice president, Iridium Satellite. “Since our public launch of Iridium OpenPort at the Satellite 2008 conference last month, we have had an overwhelming response from the marketplace, and the agreement with Sperry Marine will provide a worldwide network of trained service locations for installing, commissioning, testing and servicing the shipboard equipment.”

“Sperry Marine is uniquely qualified to be the global support partner for Iridium OpenPort with our network of offices in 16 countries and more than 250 service depots covering every major seaport in the world,” said Andy Fraser, director of worldwide service, Sperry Marine. “We will also leverage our IP-based ServiceNet tools to ensure efficient and timely shipboard service for Iridium’s customers.”

Under the agreement, Sperry Marine will supervise, install and commission the Iridium OpenPort terminals, provide onboard service, technical support and warranty repairs, and develop training packages for technical staff around the world. Sperry Marine will also provide logistics, handling and distribution of equipment inventory at prime support locations, and will provide workshop repairs at the Sperry Marine center in Vlaardingen, Netherlands.

About Iridium Satellite
Iridium Satellite LLC (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) offering gap-free, pole-to-pole coverage over the entire globe. Iridium’s constellation of 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO), cross-linked satellites (and multiple in-orbit spares) provides critical voice and data services for regions not served by other communication networks. Driven by increasing demand for reliable, secure, global, mobile satellite links, Iridium has been steadily growing at a double-digit annual rate since 2004. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of more than 150 partners, and also provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense, and other U.S. and international government agencies. The company’s customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, called “NEXT,” through which it will enable satellite-based innovations beyond communications. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Md. and is privately held.

About Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine
Sperry Marine (www.sperrymarine.northropgrumman.com), headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., and with major engineering and support offices in New Malden, United Kingdom, and Hamburg, Germany, provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry with customer service and support through offices in 16 countries, sales representatives in 47 countries and authorized service depots in more than 250 locations worldwide.  

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

SOURCE: Iridium Satellite

CONTACT: Bonnie Lieb of Sage Agency, +1-703-421-1905,
bonnie@sageagency.com, or Jim Rhodes of Rhodes Communications,
+1-757-451-0602, jrhodes@rhodescomm.com, both for Iridium Satellite

Web site: http://www.iridium.com/