Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a $186.6m cost plus fixed fee contract from the U.S. Navy to continue the engineering and design effort for the nation's newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). The company's Shipbuilding sector is the prime contractor. This planned contract modification funds additional design, planning and system integration activities and analysis to support CVN 78 construction. "This planned contract modification is essential to continuing the ship design to support construction…