PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Abstract]

PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

10.       PENSION AND OTHER POSTRETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS

The following tables are consolidated disclosures of all domestic and foreign defined pension plans as described in the Corporation's 2010 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended. The postretirement benefits information includes the domestic Curtiss-Wright Corporation and EMD postretirement benefit plans, as there are no foreign postretirement benefit plans.

Pension Plans

The components of net periodic pension cost for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 are as follows:

		(In thousands)
		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		September 30,				September 30,
		2011		2010		2011		2010
Service cost		$	9,346	$	7,281	$	28,002	$	21,356
Interest cost			6,563		7,112		19,671		19,669
Expected return on plan assets			(7,994)		(7,744)		(23,956)		(21,651)
Amortization of:
	Prior service cost		303		276		903		833
	Unrecognized actuarial loss		1,243		1,029		3,732		2,561
Net periodic benefit cost		$	9,461	$	7,954	$	28,352	$	22,768
Curtailment loss			-		106		53		75
Total periodic benefit cost		$	9,461	$	8,060	$	28,405	$	22,843

During the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the Corporation made $34 million in contributions to the Curtiss-Wright Pension Plan, and expects to make no further contributions in 2011. However, the Corporation does expect to make contributions of approximately $45 to $50 million in 2012. In addition, contributions of $4.0 million were made to the Corporation's foreign benefit plans during the nine months endedSeptember 30, 2011. Contributions to the foreign benefit plans are expected to be $4.5 million in 2011.

Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

The components of the net postretirement benefit cost for the Curtiss-Wright and EMD postretirement benefit plans for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010are as follows:

		(In thousands)
		Three Months Ended				Nine Months Ended
		September 30,				September 30,
		2011		2010		2011		2010
Service cost		$	93	$	82	$	281	$	460
Interest cost			250		188		751		1,056
Amortization of:
	Prior service cost		(158)		-		(472)		-
	Unrecognized actuarial gain		(231)		(564)		(694)		(876)
Net periodic postretirement (cost) benefit		$	(46)	$	(294)	$	(134)	$	640

The reduction in the net periodic postretirement benefit cost is a result of modifications to the EMD Plan benefit design for post 65-retirees which went into effect on January 1, 2011. The change reduced the benefit obligation by approximately $7.0 million.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2011, the Corporation paid $0.9 million to the postretirement plans. During 2011, the Corporation anticipates making total contributions of $1.6 million to the postretirement plans.