The suit was orginally brought by a former Northrop employee.

Assertions by Northrop employees of irregularities on the factory floor been published by The Los Angeles Times and CBS's "60 Minutes."

Tom Janis, also a former Northrop employee, was killed by the FARC shortly after their plane crashed in the Colombian jungle in 2003.

Northrop employees said that BINAC never worked properly after it was delivered, although it had worked at the Eckert-Mauchly workshop.

For the next two decades, former Northrop employees and other skilled volunteers slowly returned the N-9MB to its final flight configuation.

But as the program winds down, most of the 13,400 Northrop employees working on the program will lose their jobs.

Last month a Federal judge here unsealed a civil lawsuit brought by two former Northrop employees that accused the company of similar violations.

That is the bottom line," said Rob Kilborne, a lawyer for two Northrop employees who were fired after they objected to what they said was defective work.

Mr. Parkin's remark, made to a Northrop employee, was recorded on a wiretap, the affidavit said.

The suit was brought by four former Northrop employees.