Today, it was declared by Northrop Grumman Corp. that Ronald D. Sugar, its Chairman and Chief Executive, will leave his job by the end of 2009 and Wesley G. Bush, the defense contractor's president and chief operating officer, will take his place.

Wesley G. Bush will commence his new operations from 1st January, 2010. Northrop, apart from being one of the largest companies based in Los Angeles, is also the nation's second biggest defense contractor. It was in 1987 that 48-year-old Bush joined the company, after which he worked on several positions including sector president and chief financial officer.

The 61-year-old Sugar has been Northrop's chief executive since 2003; and it was after the company's acquisition of Litton Industries and previously held executive positions at TRW Inc that he joined it.

Sugar worked pretty hard for Northrop, and it was due to him that the company's sales grew from $26 billion to nearly $35 billion, which helped it to become the nation's second largest defense company by revenue.

Though the retirement age of the company's executives is 65, Sugar will be leaving the post much earlier.