TRW INC
424B5, 1999-11-18
MOTOR VEHICLE PARTS & ACCESSORIES
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<PAGE>   1

                                           Filed Pursuant To Rule 424(b)(5)
                                           Registration Statement No. 333-89133.

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT                                                 [TRW Logo]
(To Prospectus dated November 16, 1999)

                                 $2,500,000,000
                                    TRW INC.
                          MEDIUM-TERM NOTES, SERIES E
                            ------------------------

TRW MAY OFFER FROM TIME TO TIME MEDIUM-TERM NOTES. THE SPECIFIC TERMS OF ANY
NOTES OFFERED WILL BE INCLUDED IN A PRICING SUPPLEMENT. UNLESS THE PRICING
SUPPLEMENT PROVIDES OTHERWISE, THE NOTES OFFERED WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING GENERAL
TERMS:

- - THE NOTES WILL MATURE 9 MONTHS OR MORE FROM THE DATE OF ISSUE.

- - THE NOTES WILL BEAR INTEREST AT EITHER A FIXED OR A FLOATING RATE. FLOATING
  RATE INTEREST WILL BE BASED ON:

  - CD RATE
  - CMT RATE
  - COMMERCIAL PAPER RATE
  - EURIBOR
  - FEDERAL FUNDS RATE
  - LIBOR
  - PRIME RATE
  - TREASURY RATE
  - ANY OTHER RATE SPECIFIED IN THE APPLICABLE PRICING SUPPLEMENT.
- - FIXED RATE INTEREST WILL BE PAID ON MARCH 15 AND SEPTEMBER 15, ACCRUING FROM
  THE DATE OF ISSUE.
- - FLOATING RATE INTEREST WILL BE PAID ON THE DATES STATED IN THE APPLICABLE
  PRICING SUPPLEMENT.
- - THE NOTES WILL BE HELD IN GLOBAL FORM BY THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, UNLESS
  OTHERWISE SPECIFIED.
- - THE NOTES MAY BE EITHER CALLABLE BY TRW OR PUTTABLE BY YOU IF SPECIFIED IN THE
  APPLICABLE PRICING SUPPLEMENT.
- - THE NOTES WILL BE DENOMINATED IN U.S. DOLLARS AND HAVE MINIMUM DENOMINATIONS
  OF $1,000.

                            ------------------------

INVESTING IN THE NOTES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE "FOREIGN CURRENCY RISKS" BEGINNING ON
PAGE S-4.
                            ------------------------

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                              AGENTS'
                          PRICE TO         DISCOUNTS AND                PROCEEDS TO
                           PUBLIC           COMMISSIONS                   COMPANY
                       --------------  ----------------------  -----------------------------
<S>                    <C>             <C>                     <C>
Per Note.............       100%            .125%--.750%             99.875%--99.250%
Total................  $2,500,000,000  $3,125,000-$18,750,000  $2,496,875,000-$2,481,250,000
</TABLE>

The Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators have not
approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus
supplement or the accompanying prospectus are truthful or complete. Any
representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Offers to purchase the notes are being solicited from time to time by the agents
listed below. The agents have agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to
sell the notes. There is no established trading market for the notes and there
can be no assurance that a secondary market for the notes will develop.
                            ------------------------

                           MORGAN STANLEY DEAN WITTER
                              GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
                               J.P. MORGAN & CO.
November 17, 1999
<PAGE>   2

                               TABLE OF CONTENTS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                        PAGE
                                        ----
<S>                                     <C>
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
Summary.............................     S-3
Foreign Currency Risks..............     S-4
Description of Notes................     S-6
The Depositary......................    S-23
United States Federal Income Tax
  Considerations....................    S-24
Plan of Distribution................    S-30
Legal Matters.......................    S-31
</TABLE>

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                        PAGE
                                        ----
<S>                                     <C>
PROSPECTUS
Available Information...............       2
Incorporation of Certain Documents
  by Reference......................       2
The Company.........................       4
Use of Proceeds.....................       4
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed
  Charges...........................       5
Description of Debt Securities......       5
Description of Capital Stock........      15
Description of Warrants.............      21
Description of Stock Purchase
  Contracts and Stock Purchase
  Units.............................      23
Plan of Distribution................      23
Legal Opinions......................      24
Experts.............................      24
Independent Appraisal...............      25
</TABLE>

YOU SHOULD RELY ONLY ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT, THE PROSPECTUS AND ANY PRICING SUPPLEMENT. WE
HAVE NOT AUTHORIZED ANYONE ELSE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH DIFFERENT OR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION. WE ARE OFFERING TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND SEEKING OFFERS TO BUY
THESE SECURITIES ONLY IN JURISDICTIONS WHERE OFFERS AND SALES ARE PERMITTED.

                                       S-2
<PAGE>   3

                                    SUMMARY

     The following summary describes the notes we are offering under this
program in general terms only. You should read the summary together with the
more detailed information contained in this prospectus supplement, in the
accompanying prospectus and in the applicable pricing supplement. We, TRW Inc.,
may offer from time to time up to U.S. $2,500,000,000, or the equivalent of this
amount in other currencies, of the medium-term notes described in this
prospectus supplement.

     We refer to the notes offered under this prospectus supplement as our
medium-term notes. We refer to the offering of the medium-term notes as our
"medium term note program."

GENERAL TERMS OF THE NOTES   - The notes will mature nine months or more from
                               the date of issuance.

                             - Fixed rate notes will pay interest, if any, on
                               March 15 and September 15, unless the applicable
                               pricing supplement specifies otherwise.

                             - Floating rate notes will pay interest, if any, on
                               the dates specified in the applicable pricing
                               supplement.

                             - The notes will bear interest at either a fixed
                               rate, which may be zero, or a floating rate.

                             - The notes will be issued in U.S. dollars unless
                               we specify otherwise in the applicable pricing
                               supplement.

                             - The notes may be either callable by us or
                               puttable by you.

                             - Payments of principal and/or interest on the
                               notes may be linked to currency prices, commodity
                               prices, single securities, baskets of securities
                               or indices.

                             - We may issue amortizing notes that pay a level
                               amount in respect of both interest and principal
                               amortized over the life of the note.

                             - The notes will be held in global form by The
                               Depository Trust Company unless we specify
                               otherwise in the applicable pricing supplement.

                             - The notes will not be listed on any securities
                               exchange unless we specify otherwise in the
                               applicable pricing supplement.

FORMS OF SECURITIES          The securities that we offer under our medium term
                             note program will be issued in fully registered
                             form and will be represented either by a global
                             security registered in the name of a nominee of The
                             Depository Trust Company, as depositary, or by
                             certificates issued in definitive form, as set
                             forth in the applicable pricing supplement. We will
                             not issue certificated securities in exchange for
                             book-entry securities except under the
                             circumstances described in "Description of
                             Notes -- Forms of Notes -- Book Entry Notes" in
                             this prospectus supplement. For information on The
                             Depository Trust Company's book-entry system, see
                             "Description of Notes -- Forms of Notes -- Book
                             Entry Notes" and "The Depositary" in this
                             prospectus supplement.

HOW TO REACH US              You may contact us at our principal executive
                             offices at 1900 Richmond Road, Cleveland, Ohio
                             44124 (telephone number: 216.291.7654).
                                       S-3
<PAGE>   4

                             FOREIGN CURRENCY RISKS

     YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR FINANCIAL AND LEGAL ADVISORS AS TO ANY SPECIFIC
RISKS ENTAILED BY AN INVESTMENT IN NOTES THAT ARE DENOMINATED OR PAYABLE IN, OR
THE PAYMENT OF WHICH IS LINKED TO THE VALUE OF, FOREIGN CURRENCY. THOSE NOTES
ARE NOT APPROPRIATE INVESTMENTS FOR INVESTORS WHO ARE NOT SOPHISTICATED IN
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS.

     The information set forth in this prospectus supplement is directed to
prospective purchasers who are United States residents. We disclaim any
responsibility to advise prospective purchasers who are residents of countries
other than the United States of any matters arising under foreign law that may
affect the purchase of or holding of, or receipt of payments on, the notes.
These persons should consult their own legal and financial advisors concerning
these matters.

EXCHANGE RATES AND EXCHANGE CONTROLS MAY AFFECT THE SECURITIES' VALUE OR RETURN

     Securities Involving Foreign Currencies Are Subject to General Exchange
Rate and Exchange Control Risks. An investment in a note that is denominated or
payable in, or the payment of which is linked to the value of, a currency other
than U.S. dollars entails significant risks. These risks include the possibility
of significant changes in rates of exchange between the U.S. dollar and the
relevant foreign currency and the possibility of the imposition or modification
of exchange controls by either the U.S. or foreign governments. These risks
generally depend on economic and political events over which we have no control.

     Exchange Rates Will Affect Your Investment. In recent years, rates of
exchange between U.S. dollars and some foreign currencies have been highly
volatile and this volatility may continue in the future. Fluctuations in any
particular exchange rate that have occurred in the past are not necessarily
indicative, however, of fluctuations that may occur during the term of any note.
Depreciation against the U.S. dollar of the currency in which a note is payable
would result in a decrease in the effective yield of the note below its coupon
rate and could result in an overall loss to you on a U.S. dollar basis. In
addition, depending on the specific terms of a currency-linked note, changes in
exchange rates relating to any of the relevant currencies could result in a
decrease in its effective yield and in your loss of all or a substantial portion
of the value of that note.

     We Have No Control Over Exchange Rates. Foreign exchange rates can either
float or be fixed by sovereign governments. Exchange rates of most economically
developed nations are permitted to fluctuate in value relative to the U.S.
dollar and to each other. However, from time to time governments may use a
variety of techniques, such as intervention by a country's central bank or the
imposition of regulatory controls or taxes, to influence the exchange rates of
their currencies. Governments may also issue a new currency to replace an
existing currency or alter the exchange rate or relative exchange
characteristics by a devaluation or revaluation of a currency. These
governmental actions could change or interfere with currency valuations and
currency fluctuations that would otherwise occur in response to economic forces,
as well as in response to the movement of currencies across borders.

     As a consequence, these government actions could adversely affect the U.S.
dollar-equivalent yields or payouts for (a) notes denominated or payable in
currencies other than U.S. dollars and (b) currency-linked notes.

     We will not make any adjustment or change in the terms of the notes in the
event that exchange rates should become fixed, or in the event of any
devaluation or revaluation or imposition of exchange or other regulatory
controls or taxes, or in the event of other developments affecting the U.S.
dollar or any applicable foreign currency. You will bear those risks.

     Some Foreign Currencies May Become Unavailable. Governments have imposed
from time to time, and may in the future impose, exchange controls that could
also affect the availability of a specified foreign currency. Even if there are
no actual exchange controls, it is possible that the applicable currency for any
note not denominated in U.S. dollars would not be available when payments on
that note are due.

     Alternative Payment Method Used if Payment Currency Becomes Unavailable. If
a payment currency is unavailable, we would make required payments in U.S.
dollars on the basis of the market exchange rate.

                                       S-4
<PAGE>   5

However, if the applicable currency for any note is not available because the
euro has been substituted for that currency, we would make the payments in
euros. The mechanisms for making payments in these alternative currencies are
explained in "Description of Notes--Interest and Principal Payments" below.

     We Will Provide Currency Exchange Information in Pricing Supplements. The
applicable pricing supplement will include information regarding current
applicable exchange controls, if any, and historic exchange rate information for
any note denominated or payable in a foreign currency or requiring payments that
are related to the value of a foreign currency. That information will be
furnished only for information purposes. You should not assume that any historic
information concerning currency exchange rates will be representative of the
range of or trends in fluctuations in currency exchange rates that may occur in
the future.

CURRENCY CONVERSIONS MAY AFFECT PAYMENTS ON SOME SECURITIES

     The applicable pricing supplement may provide for (1) payments on a
non-U.S. dollar denominated note to be made in U.S. dollars or (2) payments on a
U.S. dollar denominated note to be made in a currency other than U.S. dollars.
In these cases, The Chase Manhattan Bank, in its capacity as exchange rate
agent, or a different exchange rate agent identified in the pricing supplement,
will convert the currencies. You will bear the costs of conversion through
deductions from those payments.

EXCHANGE RATES MAY AFFECT THE VALUE OF A NEW YORK JUDGMENT INVOLVING NON-U.S.
DOLLAR SECURITIES

     The notes will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of
the State of New York. Unlike many courts in the United States outside the State
of New York, the courts in the State of New York customarily enter judgments or
decrees for money damages in the foreign currency in which notes are
denominated. These amounts would then be converted into U.S. dollars at the rate
of exchange in effect on the date the judgment or decree is entered. You would
bear the foreign currency risk during litigation.

     ADDITIONAL RISKS SPECIFIC TO PARTICULAR SECURITIES ISSUED UNDER OUR MEDIUM
TERM NOTE PROGRAM WILL BE DETAILED IN THE APPLICABLE PRICING SUPPLEMENTS.

                                       S-5
<PAGE>   6

                              DESCRIPTION OF NOTES

     Investors should carefully read the general terms and provisions of our
debt securities in "Description of Debt Securities" in the prospectus. This
section supplements that description. THE PRICING SUPPLEMENT WILL ADD SPECIFIC
TERMS FOR EACH ISSUANCE OF NOTES AND MAY MODIFY OR REPLACE ANY OF THE
INFORMATION IN THIS SECTION AND IN "DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES" IN THE
PROSPECTUS.

GENERAL TERMS OF NOTES

     We may issue notes under the indenture described in the prospectus. The
medium-term notes issued under the indenture will constitute a single series
under the indenture, together with any medium-term notes we issue in the future
under the indenture that we designate as being part of that series.

     Ranking. Notes issued under the indenture will rank on a parity with all
other senior indebtedness of TRW and with all other unsecured and unsubordinated
indebtedness of TRW subject to statutory exceptions in the event of liquidation
upon insolvency.

     Terms Specified in Pricing Supplements. A pricing supplement will specify
the following terms of any issuance of our medium-term notes to the extent
applicable:

     - the specific designation of the notes;

     - the issue price;

     - the aggregate principal amount;

     - the denominations or minimum denominations;

     - the original issue date;

     - the stated maturity date and any terms related to any extension of the
       maturity date;

     - whether the notes are fixed rate notes, floating rate notes, notes with
       original issue discount and/or amortizing notes;

     - for fixed rate notes, the rate per year at which the notes will bear
       interest, if any, or the method of calculating that rate and the dates on
       which interest will be payable;

     - for floating rate notes, the base rate, the index maturity, the spread,
       the spread multiplier, the initial interest rate, the interest reset
       periods, the interest payment dates, the maximum interest rate, the
       minimum interest rate and any other terms relating to the particular
       method of calculating the interest rate for the note;

     - if the note is an amortizing note, the amortization schedule;

     - whether the notes may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at our option or
       repaid at your option, prior to the stated maturity date, and the terms
       of any redemption or repayment;

     - whether the notes are currency-linked notes and/or notes linked to
       commodity prices, single securities, baskets of securities or indices;

     - if any note is not denominated and payable in U.S. dollars, the currency
       or currencies in which the principal, premium, if any, and interest, if
       any, will be paid, which we refer to as the "specified currency," along
       with any other terms relating to the non-U.S. dollar denomination,
       including exchange rates as against the U.S. dollar at selected times
       during the last five years and any exchange controls affecting that
       specified currency;

     - whether the notes will be listed on any stock exchange;

     - whether the notes will be issued in book-entry or certificated form; and

     - any other terms on which we will issue the notes.

                                       S-6
<PAGE>   7

     Some Definitions. We have defined some of the terms that we use frequently
in this prospectus supplement below:

     A "business day" means any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, (a) that
is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions are
authorized or required by law or regulation to close (x) in The City of New York
or (y) for notes denominated in a specified currency other than U.S. dollars,
Australian dollars or euro, in the principal financial center of the country of
the specified currency or (z) for notes denominated in Australian dollars, in
Sydney, (b) for notes denominated in euro, that is also a day on which the
Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer System,
which is commonly referred to as "TARGET," is operating, and (c) for LIBOR
notes, a London banking day.

     "DTC" means The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York.

     "Euro LIBOR notes" means LIBOR notes for which the index currency is euros.

     An "interest payment date" for any note means a date on which, under the
terms of that note, regularly scheduled interest is payable.

     "London banking day" means any day on which dealings in deposits in the
relevant index currency are transacted in the London interbank market.

     The "record date" for any interest payment date is the date 15 calendar
days prior to that interest payment date, whether or not that date is a business
day.

     "TARGET Settlement Day" means any day on which the Trans-European Automated
Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer System is open.

     References in this prospectus supplement to "U.S. dollars" or "U.S.$" or
"$" are to the currency of the United States of America.

FORMS OF NOTES

     Book-Entry Notes. For notes in book-entry form, TRW will issue one or more
global certificates representing the entire issue of notes. Except as set forth
below, you may not exchange book-entry notes or interests in book-entry notes
for certificated notes.

     Each global note certificate representing book-entry notes will be
deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC and registered in the name of a nominee of
DTC. These certificates name DTC or its nominee as the owner of the notes. DTC
or its nominee will thus be the only registered holder of these debt securities
and will be considered the sole owner of the securities for purposes of the
indenture described in the prospectus. DTC maintains a computerized system that
will reflect the interests held by its participants in the global notes. An
investor's beneficial interest will be reflected in the records of DTC's direct
or indirect participants through an account maintained by the investor with its
broker/dealer, bank, trust company or other representative. A further
description of DTC's procedures for global notes representing book-entry notes
is set forth below.

     Purchasers may only hold interests in the global notes through DTC if they
are a participant in the DTC system. Purchasers may also hold interests through
a securities intermediary -- banks, brokerage houses and other institutions that
maintain securities accounts for customers -- that has an account with DTC or
its nominee. DTC will maintain accounts showing the securities holdings of its
participants, and these participants will in turn maintain accounts showing the
securities holdings of their customers. Some of these customers may themselves
be securities intermediaries holding debt securities for their customers. Thus,
each beneficial owner of a book-entry note will hold that security indirectly
through a hierarchy of intermediaries, with DTC at the "top" and the beneficial
owner's own securities intermediary at the "bottom."

     The securities of each beneficial owner of a book-entry note will be
evidenced solely by entries on the books of the beneficial owner's securities
intermediary. The book-entry system for holding securities eliminates the need
for physical movement of certificates. However, the laws of some countries and
some states in the United States may require some purchasers of any securities
to take physical delivery of their

                                       S-7
<PAGE>   8

securities in definitive form. These laws may impair the ability to own,
transfer or pledge book-entry securities.

     A beneficial owner of notes represented by a book-entry note may exchange
the securities for certificated notes only if:

     (1) DTC notifies TRW that it (or its nominee) is unwilling or unable to
continue to act as a depositary registered under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, and a successor depositary registered as a clearing agency under the
Exchange Act is not appointed by TRW within 90 days; or

     (2) TRW determines that the book-entry notes for any series of notes (in
whole or in part) should be exchanged for certificated notes.

In addition to the foregoing, during the continuance of an event of default,
holders of book-entry interests will be entitled to request and receive
certificated notes. Such certificated notes will be issued to and registered as
directed by that person only upon the request in writing made through a DTC
participant.

     In this prospectus supplement, for book-entry notes, references to actions
taken by security holders will mean actions taken by DTC upon instructions from
its participants, and references to payments and notices of redemption to
security holders will mean payments and notices of redemption to DTC as the
registered holder of the securities for distribution to participants in
accordance with DTC's procedures.

     Certificated Notes. If we issue notes in certificated form, the certificate
will name the investor or the investor's nominee as the owner of the note. The
person named in the note register will be considered the owner of the note for
all purposes under the indenture. For example, if we need to ask the holders of
the notes to vote on a proposed amendment to the notes, the person named in the
note register will be asked to cast any vote regarding that note. If you have
chosen to have some other entity hold the certificates for you, that entity will
be considered the owner of your note in our records and will be entitled to cast
the vote regarding your note. You may not exchange certificated notes for
book-entry notes or interests in book-entry notes.

     Denominations. TRW will issue the notes:

     - for U.S. dollar-denominated notes, in denominations of $1,000 or any
       amount greater than $1,000 that is an integral multiple of $1,000; or

     - for notes denominated in a specified currency other than U.S. dollars, in
       denominations of the equivalent of $1,000, rounded to an integral
       multiple of 1,000 units of the specified currency, or any larger integral
       multiple of 1,000 units of the specified currency, as determined by
       reference to the market exchange rate, as defined under "-- Interest and
       Principal Payments -- Unavailability of Foreign Currency" below, on the
       business day immediately preceding the date of issuance.

INTEREST AND PRINCIPAL PAYMENTS

     Payments, Exchanges and Transfers. Holders may present notes for payment of
principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, register the transfer of the
notes and exchange the notes at the agency in the Borough of Manhattan, The City
of New York, maintained by TRW for that purpose. However, holders of global
notes may transfer and exchange global notes only in the manner and to the
extent set forth above under "Forms of Notes -- Book-Entry Notes" in this
prospectus supplement. On the date of this prospectus supplement, the agent for
the payment, transfer and exchange of the notes is The Chase Manhattan Bank,
acting through its corporate trust office at 450 West 33rd Street, New York, New
York 10001. We refer to The Chase Manhattan Bank, acting in this capacity, as
the paying agent.

     We will not be required to:

     - register the transfer of or exchange any note if the holder has exercised
       the holder's right, if any, to require us to repurchase the note, in
       whole or in part, except the portion of the note not required to be
       repurchased,

                                       S-8
<PAGE>   9

     - register the transfer of or exchange notes to be redeemed for a period of
       fifteen calendar days preceding the mailing of the relevant notice of
       redemption, or

     - register the transfer of or exchange any registered note selected for
       redemption in whole or in part, except the unredeemed or unpaid portion
       of that registered note being redeemed in part.

     No service charge will be made for any registration or transfer or exchange
of notes, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or
other governmental charge payable in connection with the registration of
transfer or exchange of notes.

     Although we anticipate making payments of principal, premium, if any, and
interest, if any, on most notes in U.S. dollars, some notes may be payable in
foreign currencies as specified in the applicable pricing supplement. Currently,
few facilities exist in the United States to convert U.S. dollars into foreign
currencies and vice versa. In addition, most U.S. banks do not offer non-U.S.
dollar denominated checking or savings account facilities. Accordingly, unless
alternative arrangements are made, we will pay principal, premium, if any, and
interest, if any, on notes that are payable in a foreign currency to an account
at a bank outside the United States, which, in the case of a note payable in
euro, will be made by credit or transfer to a euro account specified by the
payee in a country for which the euro is the lawful currency.

     Recipients of Payments. The paying agent will pay interest to the person in
whose name the note is registered at the close of business on the applicable
record date. However, upon maturity, redemption or repayment, the paying agent
will pay any interest due to the person to whom it pays the principal of the
note. The paying agent will make the payment of interest on the date of
maturity, redemption or repayment, whether or not that date is an interest
payment date. The paying agent will make the initial interest payment on a note
on the first interest payment date falling after the date of issuance, unless
the date of issuance is less than 15 calendar days before an interest payment
date. In that case, the paying agent will pay interest or, in the case of an
amortizing note, principal and interest, on the next succeeding interest payment
date to the holder of record on the record date corresponding to the succeeding
interest payment date.

     Book-Entry Notes. The paying agent will make payments of principal,
premium, if any, and interest, if any, to the account of DTC, as holder of
book-entry notes, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. We expect
that DTC, upon receipt of any payment, will immediately credit its participants'
accounts in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in
the book-entry notes as shown on DTC's records. We also expect that payments by
DTC participants to owners of beneficial interests in the book-entry notes will
be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices and will
be the responsibility of those participants.

     Certificated Notes. Except as indicated below for payments of interest at
maturity, redemption or repayment, the paying agent will make U.S. dollar
payments of interest either:

     - by check mailed to the address of the person entitled to payment as shown
       on the note register; or

     - for a holder of at least $10,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of
       certificated notes having the same interest payment date, by wire
       transfer of immediately available funds, if the holder has given written
       notice to the paying agent not later than 15 calendar days prior to the
       applicable interest payment date.

U.S. dollar payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, upon
maturity, redemption or repayment on a note will be made in immediately
available funds against presentation and surrender of the note.

     Payment Procedures for Book-Entry Notes Denominated in a Foreign
Currency. Book-entry notes payable in a specified currency other than U.S.
dollars will provide that a beneficial owner of interests in those notes may
elect to receive all or a portion of the payments of principal, premium, if any,
or interest, if

                                       S-9
<PAGE>   10

any, in U.S. dollars. In those cases, DTC will elect to receive all payments
with respect to the beneficial owner's interest in the notes in U.S. Dollars,
unless the beneficial owner takes the following steps:

     - The beneficial owner must give complete instructions to the direct or
       indirect participant through which it holds the book-entry notes of its
       election to receive those payments in the specified currency other than
       U.S. dollars by wire transfer to an account specified by the beneficial
       owner with a bank located outside the United States. In the case of a
       note payable in euro, the account must be a euro account in a country for
       which the euro is the lawful currency.

     - The participant must notify DTC of the beneficial owner's election on or
       prior to the third business day after the applicable record date, for
       payments of interest, and on or prior to the twelfth business day prior
       to the maturity date or any redemption or repayment date, for payment of
       principal or premium.

     - DTC will notify the paying agent of the beneficial owner's election on or
       prior to the fifth business day after the applicable record date, for
       payments of interest, and on or prior to the tenth business day prior to
       the maturity date or any redemption or repayment date, for payment of
       principal or premium.

     Beneficial owners should consult their participants in order to ascertain
the deadline for giving instructions to participants in order to ensure that
timely notice will be delivered to DTC.

     Payment Procedures for Certificated Notes Denominated in a Foreign
Currency. For certificated notes payable in a specified currency other than U.S.
dollars, the notes may provide that the holder may elect to receive all or a
portion of the payments on those notes in U.S. dollars. To do so, the holder
must send a written request to the paying agent:

     - for payments of interest, on or prior to the applicable record date; or

     - for payments of principal, at least fifteen calendar days prior to the
       maturity date or any redemption or repayment date.

To revoke this election for all or a portion of the payments on the certificated
notes, the holder must send written notice to the paying agent:

     - prior to the applicable record date, for payment of interest; or

     - at least fifteen calendar days prior to the maturity date or any
       redemption or repayment date, for payments of principal.

If the holder does not elect to be paid in U.S. dollars, the paying agent will
pay the principal, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on the certificated
notes:

     - by wire transfer of immediately available funds in the specified currency
       to the holder's account at a bank located outside the United States, and
       in the case of a note payable in euro, in a country for which the euro is
       the lawful currency, if the paying agent has received the holder's
       written wire transfer instructions not less than 15 calendar days prior
       to the applicable payment date; or

     - by check payable in the specified currency mailed to the address of the
       person entitled to payment that is specified in the note register, if the
       holder has not provided wire instructions.

However, the paying agent will only pay the principal of the certificated notes,
any premium and interest, if any, due at maturity, or on any redemption or
repayment date, upon surrender of the certificated notes at the office or agency
of the paying agent.

     Determination of Exchange Rate for Payments in U.S. Dollars for Notes
Denominated in a Foreign Currency. The exchange rate agent will convert the
specified currency into U.S. dollars for holders who elect to receive payments
in U.S. dollars and for beneficial owners of book-entry notes that do not follow
the procedures we have described immediately above. The conversion will be based
on the highest bid quotation in The City of New York received by the exchange
rate agent at approximately 11:00 a.m., New York City

                                      S-10
<PAGE>   11

time, on the second business day preceding the applicable payment date from
three recognized foreign exchange dealers for the purchase by the quoting
dealer:

     - of the specified currency for U.S. dollars for settlement on the payment
       date;

     - in the aggregate amount of the specified currency payable to those
       holders or beneficial owners of notes; and

     - at which the applicable dealer commits to execute a contract.

One of the dealers providing quotations may be the exchange rate agent unless
the exchange rate agent is our affiliate. If those bid quotations are not
available, payments will be made in the specified currency. The holders or
beneficial owners of notes will pay all currency exchange costs by deductions
from the amounts payable on the notes.

     Unavailability of Foreign Currency. The relevant specified currency may not
be available to us for making payments of principal of, premium, if any, or
interest, if any, on any note. This could occur due to the imposition of
exchange controls or other circumstances beyond our control or if the specified
currency is no longer used by the government of the country issuing that
currency or by public institutions within the international banking community
for the settlement of transactions. If the specified currency is unavailable, we
may satisfy our obligations to holders of the notes by making those payments on
the date of payment in U.S. dollars on the basis of the noon dollar buying rate
in The City of New York for cable transfers of the currency or currencies in
which a payment on any note was to be made, published by the Federal Reserve
Bank of New York, which we refer to as the "market exchange rate." If that rate
of exchange is not then available or is not published for a particular payment
currency, the market exchange rate will be based on the highest bid quotation in
The City of New York received by the exchange rate agent at approximately 11:00
a.m., New York City time, on the second business day preceding the applicable
payment date from three recognized foreign exchange dealers for the purchase by
the quoting dealer:

     - of the specified currency for U.S. dollars for settlement on the payment
       date;

     - in the aggregate amount of the specified currency payable to those
       holders or beneficial owners of notes; and

     - at which the applicable dealer commits to execute a contract.

One of the dealers providing quotations may be the exchange rate agent unless
the exchange rate agent is our affiliate. If those bid quotations are not
available, the exchange rate agent will determine the market exchange rate at
its sole discretion.

     These provisions do not apply if a specified currency is unavailable
because it has been replaced by the euro. If the euro has been substituted for a
specified currency, TRW may at its option, or will, if required by applicable
law, without the consent of the holders of the affected notes, pay the principal
of, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any note denominated in the
specified currency in euro instead of the specified currency, in conformity with
legally applicable measures taken pursuant to, or by virtue of, the treaty
establishing the European Community, as amended by the treaty on European Union.
Any payment made in U.S. dollars or in euro as described above where the
required payment is in an unavailable specified currency will not constitute an
event of default.

     Discount Notes. Some notes may be considered to be issued with original
issue discount, which must be included in income for United States federal
income tax purposes at a constant yield. See "United States Federal
Taxation -- Notes -- Discount Notes" below. If the principal of any note that is
considered to be issued with original issue discount is declared to be due and
payable immediately as described under "Description of Debt Securities -- Events
of Default" in the prospectus, the amount of principal due and payable on that
note will be limited to:

     - the aggregate principal amount of the note multiplied by the sum of

     - its issue price, expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal
       amount, plus

                                      S-11
<PAGE>   12

     - the original issue discount amortized from the date of issue to the date
       of declaration, expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal
       amount.

The amortization will be calculated using the "interest method," computed in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in effect on the date
of declaration. See the applicable pricing supplement for any special
considerations applicable to these notes.

FIXED RATE NOTES

     Each fixed rate note will bear interest from the date of issuance at the
annual rate stated on its face until the principal is paid or made available for
payment.

     How Interest Is Calculated. Interest on fixed rate notes will be computed
on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.

     How Interest Accrues. Interest on fixed rate notes will accrue from and
including the most recent interest payment date to which interest has been paid
or duly provided for, or, if no interest has been paid or duly provided for,
from and including the issue date or any other date specified in a pricing
supplement on which interest begins to accrue. Interest will accrue to but
excluding the next interest payment date, or, if earlier, the date on which the
principal has been paid or duly made available for payment, except as described
below under "If a Payment Date is Not a Business Day."

     When Interest Is Paid. Payments of interest on fixed rate notes will be
made on the interest payment dates specified in the applicable pricing
supplement. However, if the first interest payment date is less than 15 days
after the date of issuance, interest will not be paid on the first interest
payment date, but will be paid on the second interest payment date.

     Amount of Interest Payable. Interest payments for fixed rate notes will
include accrued interest from and including the date of issue or from and
including the last date in respect of which interest has been paid, as the case
may be, to but excluding the relevant interest payment date or date of maturity
or earlier redemption or repayment, as the case may be.

     If a Payment Date is Not a Business Day. If any scheduled interest payment
date is not a business day, TRW will pay interest on the next business day, but
interest on that payment will not accrue during the period from and after the
scheduled interest payment date. If the scheduled maturity date or date of
redemption or repayment is not a business day, TRW may pay interest and
principal and premium, if any, on the next succeeding business day, but interest
on that payment will not accrue during the period from and after the scheduled
maturity date or date of redemption or repayment.

     Amortizing Notes. A fixed rate note may pay a level amount in respect of
both interest and principal amortized over the life of the note. Payments of
principal and interest on amortizing notes will be made on the interest payment
dates specified in the applicable pricing supplement, and at maturity or upon
any earlier redemption or repayment. Payments on amortizing notes will be
applied first to interest due and payable and then to the reduction of the
unpaid principal amount. We will provide to the original purchaser, and will
furnish to subsequent holders upon request to us, a table setting forth
repayment information for each amortizing note.

FLOATING RATE NOTES

     Each floating rate note will mature on the date specified in the applicable
pricing supplement.

     Each floating rate note will bear interest at a floating rate determined by
reference to an interest rate or interest rate formula, which we refer to as the
"base rate." The base rate may be one or more of the following:

     - the CD rate,

     - the commercial paper rate,

                                      S-12
<PAGE>   13

     - EURIBOR,

     - the federal funds rate,

     - LIBOR,

     - the prime rate,

     - the Treasury rate,

     - the CMT rate, or

     - any other rate or interest rate formula specified in the applicable
       pricing supplement and in the floating rate note.

     Formula for Interest Rates. The interest rate on each floating rate note
will be calculated by reference to:

     - the specified base rate based on the index maturity,

     - plus or minus the spread, if any, and/or

     - multiplied by the spread multiplier, if any.

     For any floating rate note, "index maturity" means the period of maturity
of the instrument or obligation from which the base rate is calculated and will
be specified in the applicable pricing supplement. The "spread" is the number of
basis points (one one-hundredth of a percentage point) specified in the
applicable pricing supplement to be added to or subtracted from the base rate
for a floating rate note. The "spread multiplier" is the percentage specified in
the applicable pricing supplement to be applied to the base rate for a floating
rate note.

     Limitations on Interest Rate. A floating rate note may also have either or
both of the following limitations on the interest rate:

     - a maximum limitation, or ceiling, on the rate of interest which may
       accrue during any interest period, which we refer to as the "maximum
       interest rate;"

     - a minimum limitation, or floor, on the rate of interest that may accrue
       during any interest period, which we refer to as the "minimum interest
       rate."

Any applicable maximum interest rate or minimum interest rate will be set forth
in the pricing supplement.

     In addition, the interest rate on a floating rate note may not be higher
than the maximum rate permitted by New York law, as that rate may be modified by
United States law of general application. Under current New York law, the
maximum rate of interest, subject to some exceptions, for any loan in an amount
less than $250,000 is 16% and for any loan in the amount of $250,000 or more but
less than $2,500,000 is 25% per annum on a simple interest basis. These limits
do not apply to loans of $2,500,000 or more.

     How Floating Interest Rates Are Reset. The interest rate in effect from the
date of issue to the first interest reset date for a floating rate note will be
the initial interest rate specified in the applicable pricing supplement. We
refer to this rate as the "initial interest rate." The interest rate on each
floating rate note may be reset daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually
or annually. This period is the "interest reset period" and the first day of
each interest reset period is the "interest reset date." The "interest
determination date" for any interest reset date is the day the calculation agent
will refer to when determining the new interest rate at which a floating rate
will reset, and is applicable as follows:

     - for CD rate notes, commercial paper rate notes, federal funds rate notes,
       prime rate notes and CMT rate notes, the interest determination date will
       be the second business day prior to the interest reset date;

                                      S-13
<PAGE>   14

     - for EURIBOR notes or Euro LIBOR notes, the interest determination date
       will be the second TARGET Settlement Day, as defined under "-- General
       Terms of Notes -- Some Definitions," prior to the interest reset date;

     - for LIBOR notes (other than Euro LIBOR notes), the interest determination
       date will be the second London banking day prior to the interest reset
       date, except that the interest determination date pertaining to an
       interest reset date for a LIBOR note for which the index currency is
       pounds sterling will be the interest reset date; and

     - for Treasury rate notes, the interest determination date will be the day
       of the week in which the interest reset date falls on which Treasury
       bills would normally be auctioned.

Treasury bills are normally sold at auction on Monday of each week, unless that
day is a legal holiday, in which case the auction is normally held on the
following Tuesday, but the auction may be held on the preceding Friday. If, as
the result of a legal holiday, the auction is held on the preceding Friday, that
Friday will be the interest determination date pertaining to the interest reset
date occurring in the next succeeding week. If an auction falls on a day that is
an interest reset date, that interest reset date will be the next following
business day.

     The interest reset dates will be specified in the applicable pricing
supplement. If an interest reset date for any floating rate note falls on a day
that is not a business day, it will be postponed to the following business day,
except that, in the case of a EURIBOR note or a LIBOR note, if that business day
is in the next calendar month, the interest reset date will be the immediately
preceding business day.

     The interest rate in effect for the ten calendar days immediately prior to
maturity, redemption or repayment will be the one in effect on the tenth
calendar day preceding the maturity, redemption or repayment date.

     In the detailed descriptions of the various base rates which follow, the
"calculation date" pertaining to an interest determination date means the
earlier of (1) the tenth calendar day after that interest determination date,
or, if that day is not a business day, the next succeeding business day, and (2)
the business day preceding the applicable interest payment date or maturity date
or, for any principal amount to be redeemed or repaid, any redemption or
repayment date.

     How Interest Is Calculated. Interest on floating rate notes will accrue
from and including the most recent interest payment date to which interest has
been paid or duly provided for, or, if no interest has been paid or duly
provided for, from and including the issue date or any other date specified in a
pricing supplement on which interest begins to accrue. Interest will accrue to
but excluding the next interest payment date or, if earlier, the date on which
the principal has been paid or duly made available for payment, except as
described below under "If a Payment Date is Not a Business Day."

     The applicable pricing supplement will specify a calculation agent for any
issue of floating rate notes. Upon the request of the holder of any floating
rate note, the calculation agent will provide the interest rate then in effect
and, if determined, the interest rate that will become effective on the next
interest reset date for that floating rate note.

     For a floating rate note, accrued interest will be calculated by
multiplying the principal amount of the floating rate note by an accrued
interest factor. This accrued interest factor will be computed by adding the
interest factors calculated for each day in the period for which interest is
being paid. The interest factor for each day is computed by dividing the
interest rate applicable to that day:

     - by 360, in the case of CD rate notes, commercial paper rate notes,
       EURIBOR notes, federal funds rate notes, LIBOR notes, except for LIBOR
       notes denominated in pounds sterling, and prime rate notes;

     - by 365, in the case of LIBOR notes denominated in pounds sterling; or

     - by the actual number of days in the year, in the case of Treasury rate
       notes and CMT rate notes.

                                      S-14
<PAGE>   15

For these calculations, the interest rate in effect on any interest reset date
will be the applicable rate as reset on that date. The interest rate applicable
to any other day is the interest rate from the immediately preceding interest
reset date or, if none, the initial interest rate.

     All percentages used in or resulting from any calculation of the rate of
interest on a floating rate note will be rounded, if necessary, to the nearest
one hundred-thousandth of a percentage point (.0000001), with five
one-millionths of a percentage point rounded upward, and all U.S. dollar amounts
used in or resulting from these calculations on floating rate notes will be
rounded to the nearest cent, with one-half cent rounded upward.

     When Interest Is Paid. TRW will pay interest on floating rate notes on the
interest payment dates specified in the applicable pricing supplement. However,
if the first interest payment date is less than 15 days after the date of
issuance, interest will not be paid on the first interest payment date, but will
be paid on the second interest payment date.

     If a Payment Date is Not a Business Day. If any scheduled interest payment
date, other than the maturity date or any earlier redemption or repayment date,
for any floating rate note falls on a day that is not a business day, it will be
postponed to the following business day, except that, in the case of a EURIBOR
note or a LIBOR note, if that business day would fall in the next calendar
month, the interest payment date will be the immediately preceding business day.
If the scheduled maturity date or any earlier redemption or repayment date of a
floating rate note falls on a day that is not a business day, the payment of
principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, will be made on the next
succeeding business day, but interest on that payment will not accrue during the
period from and after the maturity, redemption or repayment date.

BASE RATES

     CD Rate Notes. CD rate notes will bear interest at the interest rates
specified in the CD rate notes and in the applicable pricing supplement. Those
interest rates will be based on the CD rate and any spread and/or spread
multiplier and will be subject to the minimum interest rate and the maximum
interest rate, if any.

     "CD rate" means, for any interest determination date, the rate on that date
for negotiable certificates of deposit having the index maturity specified in
the applicable pricing supplement as published by the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System in "Statistical Release H.15(519), Selected Interest
Rates," or any successor publication of the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System ("H.15(519)") under the heading "CDs (Secondary Market)."

     The following procedures will be followed if the CD rate cannot be
determined as described above:

     - If the above rate is not published in H.15(519) by 9:00 a.m., New York
       City time, on the calculation date, the CD rate will be the rate on that
       interest determination date set forth in the daily update of H.15(519),
       available through the world wide website of the Board of Governors of the
       Federal Reserve System at http://www.bog.frb.fed.us/releases/h15/update,
       or any successor site or publication, which is commonly referred to as
       the "H.15 Daily Update," for the interest determination date for
       certificates of deposit having the index maturity specified in the
       applicable pricing supplement, under the caption "CDs (Secondary
       Market)."

     - If the above rate is not yet published in either H.15(519) or the H.15
       Daily Update by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the calculation date,
       the calculation agent will determine the CD rate to be the arithmetic
       mean of the secondary market offered rates as of 10:00 a.m., New York
       City time, on that interest determination date of three leading nonbank
       dealers in negotiable U.S. dollar certificates of deposit in The City of
       New York selected by the calculation agent, after consultation with us,
       for negotiable certificates of deposit of major United States money
       center banks of the highest credit standing in the market for negotiable
       certificates of deposit with a remaining maturity closest to the index
       maturity specified in the applicable pricing supplement in an amount that
       is representative for a single transaction in that market at that time.

                                      S-15
<PAGE>   16

     - If the dealers selected by the calculation agent are not quoting as set
       forth above, the CD rate will remain the CD rate for the immediately
       preceding interest reset period, or, if there was no interest reset
       period, the rate of interest payable will be the initial interest rate.

     Commercial Paper Rate Notes. Commercial paper rate notes will bear interest
at the interest rates specified in the commercial paper rate notes and in the
applicable pricing supplement. Those interest rates will be based on the
commercial paper rate and any spread and/or spread multiplier and will be
subject to the minimum interest rate and the maximum interest rate, if any.

     The "commercial paper rate" means, for any interest determination date, the
money market yield, calculated as described below, of the rate on that date for
commercial paper having the index maturity specified in the applicable pricing
supplement, as that rate is published in H.15(519), under the heading
"Commercial Paper -- Nonfinancial."

     The following procedures will be followed if the commercial paper rate
cannot be determined as described above:

     - If the above rate is not published by 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on
       the calculation date, then the commercial paper rate will be the money
       market yield of the rate on that interest determination date for
       commercial paper of the index maturity specified in the applicable
       pricing supplement as published in the H.15 Daily Update under the
       heading "Commercial Paper -- Nonfinancial."

     - If by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on that calculation date the rate is
       not yet published in either H.15(519) or the H.15 Daily Update, then the
       calculation agent will determine the commercial paper rate to be the
       money market yield of the arithmetic mean of the offered rates as of
       11:00 a.m., New York City time, on that interest determination date of
       three leading dealers of commercial paper in The City of New York
       selected by the calculation agent, after consultation with us, for
       commercial paper of the index maturity specified in the applicable
       pricing supplement, placed for an industrial issuer whose bond rating is
       "AA," or the equivalent, from a nationally recognized statistical rating
       agency.

     - If the dealers selected by the calculation agent are not quoting as
       mentioned above, the commercial paper rate for that interest
       determination date will remain the commercial paper rate for the
       immediately preceding interest reset period, or, if there was no interest
       reset period, the rate of interest payable will be the initial interest
       rate.

     The "money market yield" will be a yield calculated in accordance with the
following formula:

<TABLE>
                               <S>                   <C>            <C>
                                                        D x 360
                               money market yield =  -------------  x 100
                                                     360 - (D x M)
</TABLE>

where "D" refers to the applicable per year rate for commercial paper quoted on
a bank discount basis and expressed as a decimal and "M" refers to the actual
number of days in the interest period for which interest is being calculated.

     EURIBOR Notes. EURIBOR notes will bear interest at the interest rates
specified in the EURIBOR notes and in the applicable pricing supplement. That
interest rate will be based on EURIBOR and any spread and/or spread multiplier
and will be subject to the minimum interest rate and the maximum interest rate,
if any.

     "EURIBOR" means, for any interest determination date, the rate for deposits
in euros as sponsored, calculated and published jointly by the European Banking
Federation and ACI -- The Financial Market Association, or any company
established by the joint sponsors for purposes of compiling and publishing those
rates, for the index maturity specified in the applicable pricing supplement as
that rate appears on the display on Bridge Telerate, Inc., or any successor
service, on page 248 or any other page as may replace page 248 on that service,
which is commonly referred to as "Telerate Page 248," as of 11:00 a.m. (Brussels
time).

                                      S-16
<PAGE>   17

     The following procedures will be followed if the rate cannot be determined
as described above:

     - If the above rate does not appear, the calculation agent will request the
       principal Euro-zone office of each of four major banks in the Euro-zone
       interbank market, as selected by the calculation agent, after
       consultation with us, to provide the calculation agent with its offered
       rate for deposits in euros, at approximately 11:00 a.m. (Brussels time)
       on the interest determination date, to prime banks in the Euro-zone
       interbank market for the index maturity specified in the applicable
       pricing supplement commencing on the applicable interest reset date, and
       in a principal amount not less than the equivalent of U.S.$1 million in
       euro that is representative of a single transaction in euro, in that
       market at that time. If at least two quotations are provided, EURIBOR
       will be the arithmetic mean of those quotations.

     - If fewer than two quotations are provided, EURIBOR will be the arithmetic
       mean of the rates quoted by four major banks in the Euro-zone, as
       selected by the calculation agent, after consultation with us, at
       approximately 11:00 a.m. (Brussels time), on the applicable interest
       reset date for loans in euro to leading European banks for a period of
       time equivalent to the index maturity specified in the applicable pricing
       supplement commencing on that interest reset date in a principal amount
       not less than the equivalent of U.S.$1 million in euro.

     - If the banks so selected by the calculation agent are not quoting as
       mentioned in the previous bullet point, the EURIBOR rate in effect for
       the applicable period will be the same as EURIBOR for the immediately
       preceding interest reset period, or, if there was no interest reset
       period, the rate of interest will be the initial interest rate.

     "Euro-zone" means the region comprised of member states of the European
Union that adopt the single currency in accordance with the treaty establishing
the European Community, as amended by the treaty on European Union.

     Federal Funds Rate Notes. Federal funds rate notes will bear interest at
the interest rates specified in the federal funds rate notes and in the
applicable pricing supplement. Those interest rates will be based on the federal
funds rate and any spread and/or spread multiplier and will be subject to the
minimum interest rate and the maximum interest rate, if any.

     The "federal funds rate" means, for any interest determination date, the
rate on that date for federal funds as published in H.15(519) under the heading
"Federal Funds (Effective)" as displayed on Bridge Telerate, Inc., or any
successor service, on page 120 or any other page as may replace the applicable
page on that service, which is commonly referred to as "Telerate Page 120."

     The following procedures will be followed if the federal funds rate cannot
be determined as described above:

     - If the above rate is not published by 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on
       the calculation date, the federal funds rate will be the rate on that
       interest determination date as published in the H.15 Daily Update under
       the heading "Federal Funds/Effective Rate."

     - If that rate is not yet published in either H.15(519) or the H.15 Daily
       Update by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the calculation date, the
       calculation agent will determine the federal funds rate to be the
       arithmetic mean of the rates for the last transaction in overnight
       federal funds by each of three leading brokers of federal funds
       transactions in The City of New York selected by the calculation agent,
       after consultation with us, prior to 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on
       that interest determination date.

     - If the brokers selected by the calculation agent are not quoting as
       mentioned above, the federal funds rate relating to that interest
       determination date will remain the federal funds rate for the immediately
       preceding interest reset period, or, if there was no interest reset
       period, the rate of interest payable will be the initial interest rate.

     LIBOR Notes. LIBOR notes will bear interest at the interest rates specified
in the LIBOR notes and in the applicable pricing supplement. That interest rate
will be based on London interbank offered rate, which is

                                      S-17
<PAGE>   18

commonly referred to as "LIBOR," and any spread and/or spread multiplier and
will be subject to the minimum interest rate and the maximum interest rate, if
any.

     The calculation agent will determine "LIBOR" for each interest
determination date as follows:

     - As of the interest determination date, LIBOR will be either:

          - if "LIBOR Reuters" is specified in the applicable pricing
            supplement, the arithmetic mean of the offered rates for deposits in
            the index currency having the index maturity designated in the
            applicable pricing supplement, commencing on the second London
            banking day immediately following that interest determination date,
            that appear on the Designated LIBOR Page, as defined below, as of
            11:00 a.m., London time, on that interest determination date, if at
            least two offered rates appear on the Designated LIBOR Page; except
            that if the specified Designated LIBOR Page, by its terms provides
            only for a single rate, that single rate will be used; or

          - if "LIBOR Telerate" is specified in the applicable pricing
            supplement, the rate for deposits in the index currency having the
            index maturity designated in the applicable pricing supplement,
            commencing on the second London banking day immediately following
            that interest determination date or, if pounds sterling is the index
            currency, commencing on that interest determination date, that
            appears on the Designated LIBOR Page at approximately 11:00 a.m.,
            London time, on that interest determination date.

     - If (1) fewer than two offered rates appear and "LIBOR Reuters" is
       specified in the applicable pricing supplement, or (2) no rate appears
       and the applicable pricing supplement specifies either (x) "LIBOR
       Telerate" or (y) "LIBOR Reuters" and the Designated LIBOR Page by its
       terms provides only for a single rate, then the calculation agent will
       request the principal London offices of each of four major reference
       banks in the London interbank market, as selected by the calculation
       agent after consultation with us, to provide the calculation agent with
       its offered quotation for deposits in the index currency for the period
       of the index maturity specified in the applicable pricing supplement
       commencing on the second London banking day immediately following the
       interest determination date or, if pounds sterling is the index currency,
       commencing on that interest determination date, to prime banks in the
       London interbank market at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, on that
       interest determination date and in a principal amount of not less than
       U.S. $1 million (or the equivalent in the index currency, if the index
       currency is not the U.S. dollar) that is representative of a single
       transaction in that index currency in that market at that time.

     - If at least two quotations are provided, LIBOR determined on that
       interest determination date will be the arithmetic mean of those
       quotations. If fewer than two quotations are provided, LIBOR will be
       determined for the applicable interest reset date as the arithmetic mean
       of the rates quoted at approximately 11:00 a.m., London time, or some
       other time specified in the applicable pricing supplement, in the
       applicable principal financial center for the country of the index
       currency on that interest reset date, by three major banks in that
       principal financial center selected by the calculation agent, after
       consultation with us, for loans in the index currency to leading European
       banks, commencing on the second London banking day immediately following
       the interest determination date, having the index maturity specified in
       the applicable pricing supplement and in a principal amount of not less
       than U.S. $1 million (or the equivalent in the index currency, if the
       index currency is not the U.S. dollar) that is representative of a single
       transaction in that index currency in that market at that time.

     - If the banks so selected by the calculation agent are not quoting as
       mentioned in the previous bullet point, LIBOR in effect for the
       applicable period will be the same as LIBOR for the immediately preceding
       interest reset period, or, if there was no interest reset period, the
       rate of interest payable will be the initial interest rate.

     The "index currency" means the currency specified in the applicable pricing
supplement as the currency for which LIBOR will be calculated, or, if the euro
is substituted for that currency, the index currency will be

                                      S-18
<PAGE>   19

the euro. If that currency is not specified in the applicable pricing
supplement, the index currency will be U.S. dollars.

     "Designated LIBOR Page" means either (a) if "LIBOR Reuters" is designated
in the applicable pricing supplement, the display on the Reuters Monitor Money
Rates Service for the purpose of displaying the London interbank rates of major
banks for the applicable index currency or its designated successor, or (b) if
"LIBOR Telerate" is designated in the applicable pricing supplement, the display
on Bridge Telerate Inc., or any successor service, on the page specified in the
applicable pricing supplement, or any other page as may replace that page on
that service, for the purpose of displaying the London interbank rates of major
banks for the applicable index currency.

     If neither LIBOR Reuters nor LIBOR Telerate is specified in the applicable
pricing supplement, LIBOR for the applicable index currency will be determined
as if LIBOR Telerate were specified, and, if the U.S. dollar is the index
currency, as if Page 3750, had been specified.

     Prime Rate Notes. Prime rate notes will bear interest at the interest rates
specified in the prime rate notes and in the applicable pricing supplement. That
interest rate will be based on the prime rate and any spread and/or spread
multiplier, and will be subject to the minimum interest rate and the maximum
interest rate, if any.

     The "prime rate" means, for any interest determination date, the rate on
that date as published in H.15(519) under the heading "Bank Prime Loan."

     The following procedures will be followed if the prime rate cannot be
determined as described above:

     - If the rate is not published prior to 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on
       the calculation date, then the prime rate will be the rate on that
       interest determination date as published in H.15 Daily Update under the
       heading "Bank Prime Loan."

     - If the rate is not published prior to 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on
       the calculation date in either H.15(519) or the H.15 Daily Update, then
       the calculation agent will determine the prime rate to be the arithmetic
       mean of the rates of interest publicly announced by each bank that
       appears on the Reuters Screen USPRIME 1 Page, as defined below, as that
       bank's prime rate or base lending rate as in effect for that interest
       determination date.

     - If fewer than four rates appear on the Reuters Screen USPRIME 1 Page for
       that interest determination date, the calculation agent will determine
       the prime rate to be the arithmetic mean of the prime rates quoted on the
       basis of the actual number of days in the year divided by 360 as of the
       close of business on that interest determination date by at least three
       major banks in The City of New York selected by the calculation agent,
       after consultation with us.

     - If the banks selected are not quoting as mentioned above, the prime rate
       will remain the prime rate for the immediately preceding interest reset
       period, or, if there was no interest reset period, the rate of interest
       payable will be the initial interest rate.

     "Reuters Screen USPRIME 1 Page" means the display designated as page
"USPRIME 1" on the Reuters Monitor Money Rates Service, or any successor
service, or any other page as may replace the USPRIME 1 Page on that service for
the purpose of displaying prime rates or base lending rates of major United
States banks.

     Treasury Rate Notes. Treasury rate notes will bear interest at the interest
rates specified in the Treasury rate notes and in the applicable pricing
supplement. That interest rate will be based on the Treasury rate and any spread
and/or spread multiplier and will be subject to the minimum interest rate and
the maximum interest rate, if any.

     "Treasury rate" means:

     - the rate from the auction held on the applicable interest determination
       date, which we refer to as the "auction," of direct obligations of the
       United States, which are commonly referred to as "Treasury

                                      S-19
<PAGE>   20

       Bills," having the index maturity specified in the applicable pricing
       supplement as that rate appears under the caption "INVESTMENT RATE" on
       the display on Bridge Telerate, Inc., or any successor service, on page
       56 or any other page as may replace page 56 on that service, which we
       refer to as "Telerate Page 56," or page 57 or any other page as may
       replace page 57 on that service, which we refer to as "Telerate Page 57,"
       or

     - if the rate described in the first bullet point is not published by 3:00
       p.m., New York City time, on the calculation date, the bond equivalent
       yield of the rate for the applicable Treasury Bills as published in the
       H.15 Daily Update, or other recognized electronic source used for the
       purpose of displaying the applicable rate, under the caption "U.S.
       Government Securities/Treasury Bills/Auction High," or

     - if the rate described in the second bullet point is not published by 3:00
       p.m., New York City time, on the related calculation date, the bond
       equivalent yield of the auction rate of the applicable Treasury Bills,
       announced by the United States Department of the Treasury, or

     - in the event that the rate referred to in the third bullet point is not
       announced by the United States Department of the Treasury, or if the
       auction is not held, the bond equivalent yield of the rate on the
       applicable interest determination date of Treasury Bills having the index
       maturity specified in the applicable pricing supplement published in
       H.15(519) under the caption "U.S. Government Securities/ Treasury
       Bills/Secondary Market," or

     - if the rate referred to in the fourth bullet point is not so published by
       3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the related calculation date, the rate
       on the applicable interest determination date of the applicable Treasury
       Bills as published in H.15 Daily Update, or other recognized electronic
       source used for the purpose of displaying the applicable rate, under the
       caption "U.S. Government Securities/Treasury Bills/Secondary Market," or

     - if the rate referred to in the fifth bullet point is not so published by
       3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the related calculation date, the rate
       on the applicable interest determination date calculated by the
       calculation agent as the bond equivalent yield of the arithmetic mean of
       the secondary market bid rates, as of approximately 3:30 p.m., New York
       City time, on the applicable interest determination date, of three
       primary United States government securities dealers, which may include
       the agent or its affiliates, selected by the calculation agent, for the
       issue of Treasury Bills with a remaining maturity closest to the index
       maturity specified in the applicable pricing supplement, or

     - if the dealers selected by the calculation agent are not quoting as
       mentioned in the sixth bullet point, the Treasury rate for the
       immediately preceding interest reset period, or, if there was no interest
       reset period, the rate of interest payable will be the initial interest
       rate.

     The "bond equivalent yield" means a yield calculated in accordance with the
following formula and expressed as a percentage:

<TABLE>
                               <S>                      <C>            <C>
                                                            D x N
                               bond equivalent yield =  -------------  x 100
                                                        360 - (D x M)
</TABLE>

where "D" refers to the applicable per annum rate for Treasury Bills quoted on a
bank discount basis, "N" refers to 365 or 366, as the case may be, and "M"
refers to the actual number of days in the interest period for which interest is
being calculated.

     CMT Rate Notes. CMT rate notes will bear interest at the interest rates
specified in the CMT rate notes and in the applicable pricing supplement. That
interest rate will be based on the CMT rate and any spread and/or spread
multiplier and will be subject to the minimum interest rate and the maximum
interest rate, if any.

     The "CMT rate" means, for any interest determination date, the rate
displayed on the Designated CMT Telerate Page, as defined below, under the
caption "... Treasury Constant Maturities ... Federal Reserve Board

                                      S-20
<PAGE>   21

Release H.15... Mondays Approximately 3:45 p.m.," under the column for the
Designated CMT Maturity Index, as defined below, for:

     (1) the rate on that interest determination date, if the Designated CMT
         Telerate Page is 7051; and

     (2) the week or the month, as applicable, ended immediately preceding the
         week in which the related interest determination date occurs, if the
         Designated CMT Telerate Page is 7052.

     The following procedures will be followed if the CMT rate cannot be
determined as described above:

     - If that rate is no longer displayed on the relevant page, or if not
       displayed by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the related calculation
       date, then the CMT rate will be the Treasury Constant Maturity rate for
       the Designated CMT Maturity Index as published in the relevant H.15(519).

     - If the rate described in the immediately preceding sentence is no longer
       published, or if not published by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the
       related calculation date, then the CMT rate will be the Treasury Constant
       Maturity rate for the Designated CMT Maturity Index or other United
       States Treasury rate for the Designated CMT Maturity Index on the
       interest determination date as may then be published by either the Board
       of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or the United States
       Department of the Treasury that the calculation agent determines to be
       comparable to the rate formerly displayed on the Designated CMT Telerate
       Page and published in the relevant H.15(519).

     - If the information described in the immediately preceding sentence is not
       provided by 3:00 p.m., New York City time, on the related calculation
       date, then the calculation agent will determine the CMT rate to be a
       yield to maturity, based on the arithmetic mean of the secondary market
       closing offer side prices as of approximately 3:30 p.m., New York City
       time, on the interest determination date, reported, according to their
       written records, by three leading primary United States government
       securities dealers, which we refer to as a "reference dealer," in The
       City of New York, which may include an agent or their affiliates,
       selected by the calculation agent as described in the following sentence.
       The calculation agent will select five reference dealers, after
       consultation with us, and will eliminate the highest quotation or, in the
       event of equality, one of the highest, and the lowest quotation or, in
       the event of equality, one of the lowest, for the most recently issued
       direct noncallable fixed rate obligations of the United States, which are
       commonly referred to as "Treasury notes," with an original maturity of
       approximately the Designated CMT Maturity Index and a remaining term to
       maturity of not less than that Designated CMT Maturity Index minus one
       year. If two Treasury notes with an original maturity as described above
       have remaining terms to maturity equally close to the Designated CMT
       Maturity Index, the quotes for the Treasury note with the shorter
       remaining term to maturity will be used.

     - If the calculation agent cannot obtain three Treasury notes quotations as
       described in the second preceding sentence, the calculation agent will
       determine the CMT rate to be a yield to maturity based on the arithmetic
       mean of the secondary market offer side prices as of approximately 3:30
       p.m., New York City time, on the interest determination date of three
       reference dealers in The City of New York, selected using the same method
       described in the immediately preceding sentence, for Treasury notes with
       an original maturity equal to the number of years closest to but not less
       than the Designated CMT Maturity Index and a remaining term to maturity
       closest to the Designated CMT Maturity Index and in an amount of at least
       $100,000,000.

     - If three or four (and not five) of the reference dealers are quoting as
       described above, then the CMT rate will be based on the arithmetic mean
       of the offer prices obtained and neither the highest nor the lowest of
       those quotes will be eliminated.

     - If fewer than three reference dealers selected by the calculation agent
       are quoting as described above, the CMT rate will be the CMT rate for the
       immediately preceding interest reset period, or, if there was no interest
       reset period, the rate of interest payable will be the initial interest
       rate.

     "Designated CMT Telerate Page" means the display on Bridge Telerate, Inc.,
or any successor service, on the page designated in the applicable pricing
supplement or any other page as may replace that page on
                                      S-21
<PAGE>   22

that service for the purpose of displaying Treasury Constant Maturities as
reported in H.15(519). If no page is specified in the applicable pricing
supplement, the Designated CMT Telerate Page will be 7052, for the most recent
week.

     "Designated CMT Maturity Index" means the original period to maturity of
the U.S. Treasury securities, which is either 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20 or 30 years,
specified in an applicable pricing supplement for which the CMT rate will be
calculated. If no maturity is specified in the applicable pricing supplement,
the Designated CMT Maturity Index will be two years.

NOTES LINKED TO COMMODITY PRICES, SINGLE SECURITIES, BASKETS OF SECURITIES OR
INDICES

     TRW may issue notes with the principal amount payable on any principal
payment date and/or the amount of interest payable on any interest payment date
is determined by reference to one or more commodity prices, securities of
entities not affiliated with us, a basket of those securities or an index or
indices of those securities. These notes may include other terms, which will be
specified in the relevant pricing supplement.

CURRENCY-LINKED NOTES

     TRW may issue notes with the principal amount payable on any principal
payment date and/or the amount of interest payable on any interest payment date
to be determined by reference to the value of one or more currencies as compared
to the value of one or more other currencies, which we refer to as "currency-
linked notes." The pricing supplement will specify the following:

     - information as to the one or more currencies to which the principal
       amount payable on any principal payment date or the amount of interest
       payable on any interest payment date is linked or indexed;

     - the currency in which the face amount of the currency-linked note is
       denominated, which we refer to as the "denominated currency;"

     - the currency in which principal on the currency-linked note will be paid,
       which we refer to as the "payment currency;"

     - the interest rate per annum and the dates on which TRW will make interest
       payments;

     - specific historic exchange rate information and any currency risks
       relating to the specific currencies selected; and

     - additional tax considerations, if any.

     The denominated currency and the payment currency may be the same currency
or different currencies. Interest on currency-linked notes will be paid in the
denominated currency.

REDEMPTION AND REPURCHASE OF NOTES

     Optional Redemption by TRW. The pricing supplement will indicate the terms
of our option to redeem the notes, if applicable. TRW will mail a notice of
redemption to each holder by first-class mail, postage prepaid, at least 30 days
and not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption, or within the
redemption notice period designated in the applicable pricing supplement, to the
address of each holder as that address appears upon the books maintained by the
paying agent. The notes, except for amortizing notes, will not be subject to any
sinking fund.

     Repayment at Option of Holder. If applicable, the pricing supplement
relating to each note will indicate that the holder has the option to have TRW
repay the note on a date or dates specified prior to its maturity date. The
repayment price will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of the note,
together with accrued interest to the date of repayment, or such other price set
forth in the pricing supplement. For notes issued with original issue discount,
the pricing supplement will specify the amount payable upon repayment.

                                      S-22
<PAGE>   23

     For TRW to repay a note, the paying agent must receive at least 30 days but
not more than 45 days prior to the repayment date:

     - the note with the form entitled "Option to Elect Repayment" on the
       reverse of the note duly completed; or

     - a telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or a letter from a member of a
       national securities exchange, or the National Association of Securities
       Dealers, Inc. or a commercial bank or trust company in the United States
       setting forth the name of the holder of the note, the principal amount of
       the note, the principal amount of the note to be repaid, the certificate
       number or a description of the tenor and terms of the note, a statement
       that the option to elect repayment is being exercised and a guarantee
       that the note to be repaid, together with the duly completed form
       entitled "Option to Elect Repayment" on the reverse of the note, will be
       received by the paying agent not later than the fifth business day after
       the date of that telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter.
       However, the telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter will only
       be effective if that note and form duly completed are received by the
       paying agent by the fifth business day after the date of that telegram,
       telex, facsimile transmission or letter.

     Except in the case of renewable notes, exercise of the repayment option by
the holder of a note will be irrevocable. The holder may exercise the repayment
option for less than the entire principal amount of the note but, in that event,
the principal amount of the note remaining outstanding after repayment must be
an authorized denomination.

     Special Requirements for Optional Repayment of Global Notes. If a note is
represented by a global note, DTC or DTC's nominee will be the holder of the
note and therefore will be the only entity that can exercise a right to
repayment. In order to ensure that DTC's nominee will timely exercise a right to
repayment of a particular note, the beneficial owner of the note must instruct
the broker or other direct or indirect participant through which it holds an
interest in the note to notify DTC of its desire to exercise a right to
repayment. Different firms have different cut-off times for accepting
instructions from their customers and, accordingly, each beneficial owner should
consult the broker or other direct or indirect participant through which it
holds an interest in a note in order to ascertain the cut-off time by which an
instruction must be given in order for timely notice to be delivered to DTC.

     Open Market Purchases by TRW. TRW may purchase notes at any price in the
open market or otherwise. Notes so purchased by TRW may, at the discretion of
TRW, be held or resold or surrendered to the relevant trustee for cancellation.

REPLACEMENT OF NOTES

     At the expense of the holder, we will replace any notes that become
mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen or are apparently destroyed, lost or
stolen. The mutilated notes must be delivered to the applicable trustee, the
paying agent and the registrar, in the case of registered notes, or satisfactory
evidence of the destruction, loss or theft of the notes must be delivered to us,
the paying agent, the registrar, in the case of registered notes, and the
applicable trustee. At the expense of the holder, an indemnity that is
satisfactory to us, the principal paying agent, the registrar, in the case of
registered notes, and the applicable trustee may be required before a
replacement note will be issued.

                                 THE DEPOSITARY

     The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York will be designated as the
depositary for any registered global security. Each registered global security
will be registered in the name of Cede & Co., DTC's nominee.

     DTC has advised TRW as follows: the Depositary is a limited-purpose trust
company organized under the New York Banking Law, a "banking organization"
within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the Federal Reserve
System, a "clearing corporation" within the meaning of the New York

                                      S-23
<PAGE>   24

Uniform Commercial Code, and a "clearing agency" registered pursuant to the
provisions of Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

     DTC holds securities deposited with it by its participants, and it
facilitates the settlement of transactions among its participants in those
securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants'
accounts, eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates.
DTC's participants include securities brokers and dealers, including the agents,
banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations, some of
whom and/or their representatives own DTC. Access to DTC's book-entry system is
also available to others, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies
that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a participant,
either directly or indirectly.

     DTC's management is aware that some computer applications, systems, and the
like for processing data that are dependent upon calendar dates, including dates
before, on, and after January 1, 2000, may encounter "Year 2000 problems." DTC
has informed participants and other members of the financial community that it
has developed and is implementing a program so that its computer applications
and other systems, in ensuring the timely payment of distributions, including
principal and income payments, to security holders, book-entry deliveries, and
settlement of trades within DTC, continue to function appropriately. This
program includes a technical assessment and a remediation plan, each of which is
complete. Additionally, DTC's plan includes a testing phase, which is expected
to be completed within appropriate time frames.

     However, DTC's ability to perform its services properly is also dependent
upon other parties, including but not limited to issuers and their agents, as
well as third party vendors from whom DTC licenses software and hardware, and
third party vendors on whom DTC relies for information or the provision of
services, including telecommunication and electrical utility service providers,
among others. DTC has informed the financial community that it is contacting,
and will continue to contact, third party vendors from whom DTC acquires
services to

     (1) impress upon them the importance of those services being Year 2000
         compliant;

     (2) and to determine the extent of their efforts for Year 2000 remediation
         and, as appropriate, testing of their services.

In addition, DTC is in the process of developing contingency plans as it deems
appropriate.

     According to DTC, the foregoing information relating to DTC has been
provided to the financial community for informational purposes only and is not
intended to serve as a representation, warranty or contract modification of any
kind.

     TRW will not have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the
records relating to, or payments made on account of, beneficial ownership
interests in the book-entry securities or for maintaining, supervising or
reviewing any records relating to the beneficial ownership interests.

                UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

GENERAL

     This section summarizes the material U.S. tax consequences to holders of
notes. The discussion is limited in the following ways:

     - The discussion only covers you if you buy your notes in the initial
       offering.

     - The discussion only covers you if you hold your notes as a capital asset
       (that is, for investment purposes), and if you do not have a special tax
       status.

     - The discussion does not cover tax consequences that depend upon your
       particular tax situation in addition to your ownership of notes. You are
       strongly urged to consult your tax advisor about the consequences of
       holding notes in your particular situation.

     - The discussion is based on current law. Changes in the law may change the
       tax treatment of the notes.
                                      S-24
<PAGE>   25

     - The discussion does not cover state, local or foreign law.

     - The discussion does not cover every type of note that we might issue. If
       we intend to issue a note of a type not described in this summary,
       additional tax information will be provided in the applicable pricing
       supplement for the note.

     - The discussion does not apply to you if you are a Non-U.S. Holder (as
       defined herein) of notes and if you (a) own 10% or more of the voting
       stock of TRW, (b) are a "controlled foreign corporation" with respect to
       TRW, or (c) are a bank making a loan in the ordinary course of its
       business.

     - We have not requested a ruling from the IRS on the tax consequences of
       owning the notes. As a result, the IRS could disagree with portions of
       this discussion.

     IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING BUYING NOTES, YOU ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT YOUR
OWN TAX ADVISORS ABOUT THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF HOLDING THE NOTES IN YOUR
PARTICULAR SITUATION.

TAX CONSEQUENCES TO U.S. HOLDERS

     This section applies to you if you are a "U.S. Holder". A "U.S. Holder" is
a holder of a note who is:

     - an individual U.S. citizen or resident alien;

     - a corporation, or entity taxable as a corporation, that was created under
       U.S. law (federal or state); or

     - an estate or trust whose worldwide income is subject to U.S. federal
       income tax.

     If a partnership holds notes, the tax treatment of a partner will generally
depend upon the status of the partner and upon the activities of the
partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding notes, you should
consult your tax advisor.

     Interest. The tax treatment of interest paid on the notes depends upon
whether the interest is "Qualified Stated Interest."

     "Qualified Stated Interest" is any interest that meets all the following
conditions:

     - It is payable at least once each year.

     - It is payable over the entire term of the note.

     - It is payable at a single fixed rate or under a single formula.

     - The note has a maturity of more than one year from its issue date.

     If any interest on a note is Qualified Stated Interest, then

     - If you are a cash method taxpayer (including most individual holders),
       you must report that interest in your income when you receive it.

     - If you are an accrual method taxpayer, you must report that interest in
       your income as it accrues.

     If any interest on a note is not Qualified Stated Interest, it is subject
to the rules for original issue discount ("OID") described below.

     Determining Amount of OID. Notes that have OID are subject to additional
tax rules. The amount of OID on a note is determined as follows:

     - The amount of OID on a note is the "stated redemption price at maturity"
       of the note minus the "issue price" of the note. If this amount is zero
       or a number less than zero, there is no OID.

     - The "stated redemption price at maturity" of a note is the total amount
       of all principal and interest payments to be made on the note, other than
       Qualified Stated Interest. In a typical case where all interest is
       Qualified Stated Interest, the stated redemption price at maturity is the
       same as the principal amount.

                                      S-25
<PAGE>   26

     - The "issue price" of a note is the first price at which a substantial
       amount of the notes are sold to the public.

     - Under a special rule, if the OID determined under the general formula is
       very small, it is disregarded and not treated as OID. This disregarded
       OID is called "de minimis OID". If all the interest on a note is
       Qualified Stated Interest, this rule applies if the amount of OID is less
       than the following items multiplied together: (a) .25% (1/4 of 1%), (b)
       the number of full years from the issue date to the maturity date of the
       note, and (c) the principal amount.

     Accrual of OID Into Income. If a note has OID, the following consequences
arise:

     - You must include the total amount of OID as ordinary income over the life
       of the note.

     - You must include OID in income as the OID accrues on the notes even if
       you are a cash method taxpayer. This means that you are required to
       report OID income, and in some cases pay tax on that income, before you
       receive the cash that corresponds to that income.

     - OID accrues on a note on a "constant yield" method. This method takes
       into account the compounding of interest. Under this method, the accrual
       of OID on a note, combined with the inclusion into income of any
       Qualified Stated Interest on the note, will result in your being taxable
       at approximately a constant percentage of the unrecovered investment in
       the note.

     - The accruals of OID on a note will generally be less in the early years
       and more in the later years.

     - If any of the interest paid on the note is not Qualified Stated Interest,
       that interest is taxed solely as OID. It is not separately taxed when it
       is paid to you.

     - Your tax basis in the note is initially your cost. It increases by any
       OID (not including Qualified Stated Interest) you report as income. It
       decreases by any principal payments you receive on the note, and by any
       interest payments you receive that are not Qualified Stated Interest.

     Notes Subject to Additional Tax Rules. Additional or different tax rules
apply to several types of notes that we may issue.

     Short-Term Notes: We may issue notes with a maturity of one year or less.
These are referred to as "Short-Term Notes".

     - No interest on these notes is Qualified Stated Interest. Otherwise, the
       amount of OID is calculated in the same manner as described above.

     - Certain elections apply to the method of accrual of OID on Short-Term
       Notes over the life of the notes.

     - If you are an accrual method taxpayer, bank, or securities dealer, then
       you must include OID in income as it accrues.

     - If you are a cash method taxpayer not subject to the accrual rule
       described above, you do not include OID in income until you actually
       receive payments on the note. Alternatively, you can elect to include OID
       in income as it accrues.

     - Two special rules apply if you are a cash method taxpayer and you do not
       include OID in income as it accrues. First, if you sell the note or it is
       paid at maturity, and you have a taxable gain, then the gain is ordinary
       income to the extent of the accrued OID on the note at the time of the
       sale that you have not yet taken into income. Second, if you borrow money
       (or do not repay outstanding debt) to acquire or hold the note, then
       while you hold the note you cannot deduct any interest on the borrowing
       that corresponds to accrued OID on the note until you include the OID in
       your income.

     Floating Rate Notes: Floating Rate Notes are subject to special OID rules:

     - If the interest rate is based on a single fixed formula based on
       objective financial information (which may include a fixed interest rate
       for the initial period), all the interest will be Qualified Stated
       Interest.

                                      S-26
<PAGE>   27

       The amount of OID (if any), and the method of accrual of OID, will then
       be calculated by converting the note's initial floating rate into a fixed
       rate and by applying the general OID rules described above.

     - If the note has more than one formula for interest rates, it is possible
       that the combination of interest rates might create OID. You should
       consult your tax advisor concerning the OID accruals on such a note.

     Foreign Currency Notes: A "Foreign Currency Note" is a note denominated in
a specified currency other than the U.S. dollar. Special tax rules apply to
these notes:

     - If you are a cash method taxpayer, you will be taxed on the U.S. dollar
       value of any foreign currency you receive as interest. The dollar value
       will be determined as of the date when you receive the payments.

     - If you are an accrual method taxpayer, you must report interest income as
       it accrues. You can use the average foreign currency exchange rate during
       the relevant interest accrual period (or, if that period spans two
       taxable years, during the portion of the interest accrual period in the
       relevant taxable year). In this case, you will make an adjustment upon
       receipt of the foreign currency to reflect actual exchange rates at that
       time. Certain alternative elections may also be available.

     - Any OID on Foreign Currency Notes will be determined in the relevant
       foreign currency. All holders must accrue OID in the same manner that an
       accrual basis holder accrues interest income.

     - Your initial tax basis in a Foreign Currency Note is the amount of U.S.
       dollars you pay for the note (or, if you pay in foreign currency, the
       value of that foreign currency on the purchase date). Adjustments are
       made to reflect OID and other items as described above.

     - If you collect foreign currency upon the maturity of the note, or if you
       sell the note for foreign currency, your gain or loss will be based on
       the U.S. dollar value of the foreign currency you receive. For a publicly
       traded Foreign Currency Note, this value is determined for cash basis
       taxpayers on the settlement date for the sale of the note, and for
       accrual basis taxpayers on the trade date for the sale (although such
       taxpayers can also elect the settlement date). You will then have a tax
       basis in the foreign currency equal to the value reported on the sale.

     - Any gain or loss on the sale or retirement of a note will be ordinary
       income or loss to the extent it arises from currency fluctuations between
       your purchase date and sale date. Any gain or loss on the sale of foreign
       currency will also be ordinary income or loss.

     Other Categories of Notes: Additional rules may apply to certain other
categories of notes. The applicable pricing supplement for these notes will
describe these rules. In addition, we suggest that you consult your tax advisor
in these situations. These categories of notes may include:

     - notes with contingent payments;

     - notes that can be put to TRW by the holder before their maturity;

     - notes that are callable by TRW before their maturity, other than typical
       calls at a premium;

     - currency linked notes and/or notes linked to commodity prices, single
       securities, baskets of securities or indices;

     - amortizing notes.

     Premium and Discount. Additional special rules apply in the following
situations involving discount or premium:

     - If you buy a note in the initial offering for more than its stated
       redemption price at maturity, the excess amount you pay will be "bond
       premium". You can use bond premium to reduce your taxable interest income
       over the life of your note.

                                      S-27
<PAGE>   28

     - Similarly, if a note has OID and you buy it in the initial offering for
       more than the issue price, the excess (up to the total amount of OID) is
       called "acquisition premium". The amount of OID you are required to
       include in income will be reduced by this amount over the life of the
       note.

     - If you buy a note in the initial offering for less than the initial
       offering price to the public, special rules concerning "market discount"
       may apply.

     Appropriate adjustments to tax basis are made in these situations. Holders
in these situations are urged to consult their tax advisors.

     Accrual Election. You can elect to be taxed on the income from the note in
a different manner than described above. Under the election:

     - No interest is Qualified Stated Interest.

     - You include amounts in income as it economically accrues to you. The
       accrual of income is in accordance with the constant yield method, based
       on the compounding of interest. The accrual of income takes into account
       stated interest, OID (including de minimis OID), market discount, and
       premium.

     - Your tax basis is increased by all accruals of income and decreased by
       all payments you receive on the note.

     Sale or Retirement of Notes. On your sale or retirement of your note:

     - You will have taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the
       amount received by you and your tax basis in the note. Your tax basis in
       the note is your cost, subject to certain adjustments.

     - Your gain or loss will generally be capital gain or loss, and will be
       long term capital gain or loss if you held the note for more than one
       year.

     - If (a) you purchased the note with de minimis OID, (b) you did not make
       the election to accrue all OID into income, and (c) you receive the
       principal amount of the note upon the sale or retirement, then you will
       generally have capital gain equal to the amount of the de minimis OID.

     - If you sell the note between interest payment dates, a portion of the
       amount you receive reflects interest that has accrued on the note but has
       not yet been paid by the sale date. That amount is treated as ordinary
       interest income and not as sale proceeds.

     - All or part of your gain may be ordinary income rather than capital gain
       in some cases. These cases include sales of short-term notes, notes with
       market discount, notes with contingent payments, or Foreign Currency
       Notes.

     Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. Under the tax rules
concerning information reporting to the IRS:

     - Assuming you hold your notes through a broker or other securities
       intermediary, the intermediary must provide information to the IRS
       concerning interest, OID and retirement proceeds on your notes, unless an
       exemption applies.

     - Similarly, unless an exemption applies, you must provide the intermediary
       with your Taxpayer Identification Number for its use in reporting
       information to the IRS. If you are an individual, this is your social
       security number. You are also required to comply with other IRS
       requirements concerning information reporting.

     - If you are subject to these requirements but do not comply, the
       intermediary must withhold 31% of all amounts payable to you on the notes
       (including principal payments). If the intermediary withholds payments,
       you may use the withheld amount as a credit against your federal income
       tax liability.

                                      S-28
<PAGE>   29

     - All individual U.S. Holders are subject to these requirements. Some U.S.
       Holders, including all corporations, tax-exempt organizations and
       individual retirement accounts, are exempt from these requirements.

TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS

     This section applies to you if you are a "Non-U.S. Holder." A "Non-U.S.
Holder" is a holder of a note who is:

     - an individual that is a nonresident alien;

     - a corporation organized or created under non-U.S. law; or

     - an estate or trust that is not taxable in the U.S. on its worldwide
       income.

     Withholding Taxes. Generally, payments of principal and interest on the
notes will not be subject to U.S. withholding taxes.

     However, for the general exemption from withholding taxes to apply to you,
you must meet one of the following requirements:

     - You provide your name, address, and a signed statement that you are the
       beneficial owner of the note and are not a U.S. Holder. This statement is
       generally made on Form W-8 or Form W-8BEN.

     - You or your agent claim an exemption from withholding tax under an
       applicable tax treaty. This claim is generally made on Form 1001 or Form
       W-8BEN.

     - You or your agent claim an exemption from withholding tax on the ground
       that the income is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or
       business in the U.S. This claim is generally made on Form 4224 or Form
       W-8ECI.

     You should consult your tax advisor about the specific methods for
satisfying these requirements. These procedures will change on January 1, 2001.
In addition, a claim for exemption will not be valid if the person receiving the
applicable form has actual knowledge that the statements on the form are false.

     Even if you comply with these conditions, withholding tax might arise if
the amount of interest payable on a note is based on the earnings or other
attributes of TRW. If this exception applies, additional information will be
provided in the applicable pricing supplement.

     Sale or Retirement of Notes. If you sell a note or it is redeemed, you will
not be subject to federal income tax on any gain unless one of the following
applies:

     - The gain is connected with a trade or business that you conduct in the
       U.S.

     - You are an individual, you are present in the U.S. for at least 183 days
       during the year in which you dispose of the note, and other conditions
       are satisfied.

     - The gain represents accrued interest or OID, in which case the rules for
       interest would apply.

     U.S. Trade or Business. If you hold your note in connection with a trade or
business that you are conducting in the U.S.:

     - Any interest on the note, and any gain from disposing of the note,
       generally will be subject to income tax as if you were a U.S. Holder.

     - If you are a corporation, you may be subject to the "branch profits tax"
       on your earnings that are connected with your U.S. trade or business,
       including earnings from the note. This tax is 30%, but may be reduced or
       eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty.

     Estate Taxes. If you are an individual, your notes will not be subject to
U.S. estate tax when you die. However, this rule only applies if, at your death,
payments on the notes were not connected to a trade or business that you were
conducting in the U.S.

                                      S-29
<PAGE>   30

     Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. U.S. rules concerning
information reporting and backup withholding are described above. These rules
apply to Non-U.S. Holders as follows:

     - Principal and interest payments you receive will be automatically exempt
       from the usual rules if you provide the tax certifications needed to
       avoid withholding tax on interest, as described above. The exemption does
       not apply if the recipient of the applicable form knows that the form is
       false. In addition, interest payments made to you will be reported to the
       IRS on Form 1042-S.

     - Sale proceeds you receive on a sale of your notes through a broker may be
       subject to information reporting and/or backup withholding if you are not
       eligible for an exemption. In particular, information reporting and
       backup reporting may apply if you use the U.S. office of a broker, and
       information reporting (but not backup withholding) may apply if you use
       the foreign office of a broker that has certain connections to the U.S.
       We suggest that you consult your tax advisor concerning information
       reporting and backup withholding on a sale.

                              PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     TRW is offering the medium term notes on a continuing basis through Morgan
Stanley & Co. Incorporated, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and J.P. Morgan Securities
Inc., which we refer to individually as an "agent" and, together, as the
"agents," who have agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to solicit offers
to purchase these securities. TRW will have the sole right to accept offers to
purchase these securities and may reject any offer in whole or in part. Each
agent may reject, in whole or in part, any offer it solicited to purchase
securities. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable pricing supplement, TRW
will pay an agent, in connection with sales of these securities resulting from a
solicitation that agent made or an offer to purchase that agent received, a
commission ranging from .125% to .750% of the initial offering price of the
securities to be sold, depending upon the maturity of the securities. TRW and
the agent will negotiate commissions for securities with a maturity of greater
than 30 years at the time of sale.

     TRW may also sell these securities to an agent as principal for its own
account at discounts to be agreed upon at the time of sale. That agent may
resell these securities to investors and other purchasers at a fixed offering
price or at prevailing market prices, or prices related thereto at the time of
resale or otherwise, as that agent determines and as we will specify in the
applicable pricing supplement. An agent may offer the securities it has
purchased as principal to other dealers. That agent may sell the securities to
any dealer at a discount and, unless otherwise specified in the applicable
pricing supplement, the discount allowed to any dealer will not be in excess of
the discount that agent will receive from TRW. After the initial public offering
of securities that an agent is to resell on a fixed public offering price basis,
the agent may change the public offering price, concession and discount. TRW may
sell notes directly to investors from time to time on its own behalf and on such
sales no discounts will be allowed and no commissions will be paid. In addition
TRW may appoint additional agents or terminate existing agents.

     Each of the agents may be deemed to be an "underwriter" within the meaning
of the Securities Act of 1933. TRW and the agents have agreed to indemnify each
other against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities
Act, or to contribute to payments made in respect of those liabilities. TRW has
also agreed to reimburse the agents for specified expenses.

     Unless otherwise provided in the applicable pricing supplement, TRW does
not intend to apply for the listing of these securities on a national securities
exchange, but has been advised by the agents that they intend to make a market
in these securities, as applicable laws and regulations permit. The agents are
not obligated to do so, however, and the agents may discontinue making a market
at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of any
trading market for these securities.

     In order to facilitate the offering of these securities, the agents may
engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of
these. Specifically, the agents may overallot in connection with any offering of
these securities, creating a short position in these securities for their own
accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of
these securities, the agents may bid for, and purchase, these securities in the
open market. Finally, in any offering of these securities through a syndicate of
underwriters,
                                      S-30
<PAGE>   31

the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an
underwriter or a dealer for distributing these securities in the offering if the
syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover
syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of
these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of these securities
above independent market levels. The agents are not required to engage in these
activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.

     Concurrently with the offering of these securities, we may issue other debt
securities, shares of common stock, warrants to purchase debt securities or
common stock, stock purchase contracts and stock purchase units. The sale of any
of those securities through the use of the accompanying prospectus will reduce
the aggregate offering price of the notes that may be offered by this prospectus
supplement.

     The agents and their affiliates may engage in transactions with and perform
services for TRW or its affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

                                 LEGAL MATTERS

     The validity of the notes, the units and any securities included in the
units will be passed upon for TRW by William B. Lawrence, TRW's Executive Vice
President, General Counsel and Secretary, or other counsel who is satisfactory
to the agents and who may be an officer of TRW. Cravath, Swaine & Moore will
pass upon some legal matters relating to the notes for the agents.

                                      S-31
<PAGE>   32

PROSPECTUS                                                            [TRW LOGO]

                                    TRW INC.

                                 $2,500,000,000

                                DEBT SECURITIES
                      WARRANTS TO PURCHASE DEBT SECURITIES
                                  COMMON STOCK
                       WARRANTS TO PURCHASE COMMON STOCK
                            STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS
                              STOCK PURCHASE UNITS

     TRW Inc. may offer and sell debt securities, including convertible debt
securities, warrants to purchase debt securities, common stock, warrants to
purchase common stock, stock purchase contracts and stock purchase units. We
will provide specific terms of these securities in supplements to this
prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement
carefully before you invest.

     Our common stock is listed on the New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and
Pacific Stock Exchanges under the symbol "TRW," and is also listed on the
Frankfurt and London Stock Exchanges. If we decide to seek a listing of any debt
securities, warrants to purchase debt securities, common stock, warrants to
purchase common stock, stock purchase contracts or stock purchase units offered
by this prospectus, the related prospectus supplement will disclose the exchange
or market on which the securities will be listed or where we have made an
application for listing.

     This prospectus may be used to offer and sell securities only if
accompanied by the prospectus supplement for those securities.

     NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES
COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED OF THESE SECURITIES OR DETERMINED IF THIS
PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

                The date of this prospectus is November 16, 1999
<PAGE>   33

                               TABLE OF CONTENTS

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                              PAGE
                                                              ----
<S>                                                           <C>
Available Information.......................................    2
Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.............    2
The Company.................................................    4
Use of Proceeds.............................................    4
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges..........................    5
Description of Debt Securities..............................    5
Description of Capital Stock................................   15
Description of Warrants.....................................   21
Description of Stock Purchase Contracts and Stock Purchase
  Units.....................................................   23
Plan of Distribution........................................   23
Legal Opinions..............................................   24
Experts.....................................................   24
Independent Appraisal.......................................   25
</TABLE>

                             AVAILABLE INFORMATION

     We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other
information with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our SEC filings are
available to the public over the Internet at the SEC's web site at
http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any materials we file with the
SEC at the SEC's public reference rooms in Washington, DC, New York, New York
and Chicago, Illinois. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further
information about the public reference rooms. Our common stock is listed on the
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pacific, Frankfurt and London Stock Exchanges.
You may inspect information about TRW at the offices of the NYSE located at 20
Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.

     You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or
provided in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you
with different or additional information. We are not making an offer of these
securities in any state or country where the offer is not permitted. You should
not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date
other than the date on the front cover of this document or the documents
incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

                INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

     The SEC allows us to "incorporate by reference" into this prospectus some
of the information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose
important information to you by referring you to information in those documents.
The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this
prospectus. The following documents, which we have filed with the SEC, are
incorporated into and specifically made a part of this prospectus by this
reference:

     - Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998, as
       amended by Amendment No. 1 to such report, filed November 10, 1999;

     - Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1999, for
       the quarter ended June 30, 1999 and the quarter ended September 30, 1999;

                                        2
<PAGE>   34

     - The Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 28, 1999; February 5,
       1999; March 26, 1999, as amended on May 17, 1999; May 27, 1999 and June
       21, 1999 and the three Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on November 12,
       1999; and

     - The description of our common stock and related preference stock purchase
       rights contained in Exhibit 4(a) to our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
       March 31, 1996 and our Form 8-A dated April 25, 1996, including any
       amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating those
       descriptions.

     In addition, (1) all documents filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Section
13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 after the date
of this prospectus and (2) all other documents filed by us with the SEC pursuant
to the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus and prior to the
termination of the offering of the securities offered by this prospectus will be
deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and will be a part
of this prospectus from the date we file those documents with the SEC. Any
statement contained in this prospectus or in a document incorporated by
reference in this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for
purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this
prospectus or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is
deemed to be incorporated by reference modifies or supersedes that statement.
Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so
modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

     We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the
Securities Act of 1933 with respect to the securities being offered by this
prospectus. This prospectus, which forms a part of the registration statement,
does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement.
You should refer to the registration statement for more information.

     Statements contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus
regarding the contents of any contract or other document referred to in this
prospectus or in any incorporated document are presented in summary form. In
each case, we refer you to the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to
this prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference for complete terms of
that document. The actual contract or document, not the statements in this
prospectus, govern the matters set forth in those contracts and documents.

     This prospectus incorporates documents by reference that contain important
business and financial information about TRW that is not included in or
delivered with this document. Copies of those documents, other than exhibits to
those documents that are not specifically incorporated by reference into the
documents, are available without charge to any person to whom this prospectus is
delivered, upon written or oral request to:

                                    TRW Inc.
                               1900 Richmond Road
                           Cleveland, Ohio 44124-2760
                         Attention: Financial Services
                                (216) 291-7654.

                                        3
<PAGE>   35

                                  THE COMPANY

     TRW is an international company that provides advanced technology products
and services. The principal businesses of TRW and its subsidiaries are the
design, manufacture and sale of products and the performance of systems
engineering, research and technical services for private industry and the United
States Government in the automotive and aerospace and information systems
markets. Our principal products and services include:

     - automotive chassis systems;

     - automotive occupant safety systems;

     - automotive electronics and engineered fasteners;

     - automotive engine components and diesel systems;

     - spacecraft;

     - electronic systems, equipment and services;

     - software and systems engineering support services;

     - information technology; and

     - aeronautical systems, products and services.

     TRW was incorporated under the laws of Ohio on June 17, 1916. Our principal
executive offices are at 1900 Richmond Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44124-2760.

ACQUISITION OF LUCASVARITY

     On May 10, 1999, TRW closed the acquisition of LucasVarity plc for an
aggregate cash purchase price of approximately $6.8 billion. LucasVarity
designs, manufactures and supplies advanced technology systems, products and
services in the world's automotive and aerospace industries. LucasVarity had
sales of approximately $7.088 billion for the year ended January 31, 1999, and
total assets of approximately $7.453 billion as of January 31, 1999. TRW
unconditionally committed to purchase all LucasVarity shares tendered on or
prior to March 25, 1999, and LucasVarity is included in TRW's financial
statements subsequent to that date.

                                USE OF PROCEEDS

     Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we
intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by this
prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement for general corporate
purposes. General corporate purposes include the repayment or refinancing of
existing indebtedness, additions to working capital, capital expenditures and
acquisitions. Any specific allocation of the net proceeds of an offering of
securities to a specific purpose will be described in the related prospectus
supplement.

                                        4
<PAGE>   36

                       RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
                                  (UNAUDITED)

     The following table shows the ratio of earnings to fixed charges of TRW and
its subsidiaries. For purposes of this ratio, "earnings" consist of earnings
from continuing operations before income taxes adjusted for minority interests
in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, plus fixed charges, less undistributed
earnings of affiliates which are less than fifty percent owned by TRW. "Fixed
charges" consist of interest on borrowed funds, amortization of debt discount
and expense and one-third of rental expense which is representative of the
interest factor.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                             YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,            NINE MONTHS
                                        ----------------------------------         ENDED
                                        1994   1995   1996    1997    1998   SEPTEMBER 30, 1999
                                        ----   ----   ----    ----    ----   ------------------
<S>                                     <C>    <C>    <C>     <C>     <C>    <C>
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges....  3.9x   5.4x   3.4x(a) 2.9x(b) 5.2x          2.1x(c)
</TABLE>

- ---------------

(a) The 1996 earnings from continuing operations before income taxes of $302
    million includes a charge of $385 million as a result of actions taken in
    the automotive and space and defense businesses.

(b) The 1997 earnings from continuing operations before income taxes of $240
    million includes a $548 million earnings charge for purchased in-process
    research and development related to the acquisition of BDM International,
    Inc.

(c) The earnings from continuing operations before income taxes of $435 million
    for the nine months ended September 30, 1999 includes an $85 million
    earnings charge for purchased in-process research and development related to
    the acquisition of LucasVarity.

                         DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

     The debt securities will be issued under an indenture dated as of May 1,
1986, as supplemented, between TRW and The Chase Manhattan Bank, as successor
trustee to Mellon Bank, N.A.

     The following description is a summary of the material provisions of the
indenture. It does not restate the indenture in its entirety. A copy of the
indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which
this prospectus is a part. We urge you to read the indenture because it, and not
this description, defines your rights as holders of the debt securities issued
under the indenture. In this description, references to "TRW" mean TRW Inc.,
alone and not together with any of its subsidiaries.

GENERAL

     The indenture does not limit the amount of debt securities which we can
issue. We may issue debt securities up to an aggregate principal amount as we
may authorize from time to time. You should consult the applicable prospectus
supplement for the following terms of the debt securities being offered:

     - the type, total principal amount and authorized denominations of the debt
       securities;

     - the percentage of the principal amount at which the debt securities will
       be issued;

     - the date or dates on which the debt securities will mature;

     - the rate or rates per year, which may be fixed or floating, at which the
       debt securities will bear interest, if any, or the method of determining
       the rate or rates;

     - the interest payment dates and the record dates related to those dates,
       if any;

     - sinking fund or redemption terms, if any;

                                        5
<PAGE>   37

     - the terms, if any, upon which the debt securities may be convertible into
       or exchanged for our or any other issuer's or obligor's common stock,
       preferred stock, other debt securities or warrants for common stock,
       preferred stock, indebtedness or other securities of any kind and the
       terms and conditions upon which such conversion or exchange shall be
       effected, including the initial conversion or exchange price or rate, the
       conversion or exchange period and any other additional provisions;

     - whether holders can require us to repurchase the debt securities;

     - the currency or currencies for payment of the principal of, premium, if
       any, and interest, if any, on the debt securities;

     - if the currency or currencies for payment of the principal of, premium,
       if any, and interest on the debt securities is at the purchaser's
       election, the manner in which that election may be made;

     - the securities exchange, if any, on which the debt securities will be
       listed;

     - whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of one or more
       global securities representing debt securities, and, if so, the identity
       of a depository for those global securities;

     - the conversion or exchange provisions, if any; and

     - any other terms of the debt securities, which terms will be consistent
       with the applicable indenture.

     The prospectus supplement will also describe any material United States
Federal income tax consequences or other special considerations applicable to
the series of debt securities to which that prospectus supplement relates,
including those applicable to:

     - debt securities with respect to which payments of principal, premium or
       interest are determined with reference to an index or formula, including
       changes in prices of particular securities, currencies or commodities;

     - debt securities with respect to which principal or interest is payable in
       a foreign or composite currency;

     - debt securities that are issued at a discount below their stated
       principal amount, bearing no interest or interest at a rate that at the
       time of issuance is below market rates; and

     - variable rate debt securities that are exchangeable for fixed rate debt
       securities.

     For debt securities that are registered, the principal of, premium, if any,
and interest on the debt securities may be paid at our option by check mailed to
the address of the person entitled thereto as it appears in the register for
those debt securities. Interest payments will be subject to applicable
withholding taxes.

     No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of the debt
securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or
other governmental charge payable in connection with the transfer or exchange.

RANKING

     TRW currently intends to issue the debt securities as senior unsecured
indebtedness of TRW, ranking equally with all other existing and future
unsecured senior indebtedness of TRW. TRW Inc. had $8.1 billion of indebtedness
for borrowed money outstanding and subsidiaries of TRW Inc. had $0.2 billion of
indebtedness for borrowed money outstanding that was guaranteed by TRW Inc. as
of September 30, 1999. All of TRW Inc.'s debt and all of TRW Inc.'s obligations
under the guarantees of subsidiary debt rank equally with the senior debt to be
issued under

                                        6
<PAGE>   38

the indenture. As of the date of this prospectus, no debt of TRW Inc. ranks
senior to the senior debt that will be issued under the indenture and TRW Inc.
has no subordinated debt outstanding. There are no restrictions on the
incurrence of debt that ranks equally with the senior debt to be issued under
the indenture. TRW Inc. cannot issue debt that ranks senior to any series of
senior debt issued under the indenture without the consent of the holders of 66
2/3% in total principal amount of that series. This consent requirement is the
only limitation in the indenture on the amount of indebtedness that TRW Inc.
could issue that ranks senior to the senior debt issued under the indenture.

     If we decide to issue any or all of the debt securities as subordinated
debt securities, the prospectus supplement will set forth the terms of any
indenture that may apply and the rights of the holders of such subordinated debt
securities.

GLOBAL SECURITIES

     The debt securities of a series may be issued in whole or in part in the
form of one or more global securities. A global security is a security that
represents, and is denominated in an amount equal to, the aggregate principal
amount of the debt securities, or a portion of those securities, in either case
having the same terms as the securities that it represents. The global
securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the depository identified in
the prospectus supplement relating to such series. Unless and until it is
exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities in definitive form, a global
security may not be transferred except as a whole by or to the depository for
that global security or its successor, or any nominee of the depository or
successor depository.

     The specific terms of the depository arrangement with respect to any series
of debt securities and the rights of and limitations on owners of beneficial
interests in global securities representing debt securities will be described in
the prospectus supplement relating to those debt securities.

DEFINITIONS FROM THE INDENTURE

     The following are some of the terms defined in the indenture:

     "Attributable Debt" means, as to any particular lease under which any
Person is liable at the time and at any date as of which the amount thereof is
to be determined, the lesser of:

     (1) the fair value of the property subject to such lease, as determined by
         the Board of Directors; or

     (2) the total net amount of rent required to be paid by such Person under
         such lease during the remaining term thereof, discounted from the
         respective due dates thereof to such date at the actual interest factor
         included in such rent.

The net amount of rent required to be paid under any such lease for any such
period shall be the aggregate amount of the rent payable by the lessee with
respect to such period after excluding amounts required to be paid on account of
maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates and similar
charges. In the case of any lease which is terminable by the lessee upon the
payment of a penalty, such net amount shall also include the amount of such
penalty, but no rent shall be considered as required to be paid under such lease
subsequent to the first date upon which it may be so terminated.

     "Board of Directors" or "Board," when used with reference to TRW, shall
mean the Board of Directors of TRW, or the Executive Committee of the Board or
any other committee of the Board to the extent that the powers of the Board have
lawfully been delegated.

     "Consolidated Funded Debt" means the Funded Debt of TRW and its
Consolidated Subsidiaries consolidated in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles.
                                        7
<PAGE>   39

     "Consolidated Net Tangible Assets" means the total of all assets of TRW and
its Consolidated Subsidiaries appearing on a consolidated balance sheet prepared
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, including the
equity in and the net amount of advances to other Subsidiaries, after deducting
therefrom, without duplication of deductions, as shown on such balance sheet,
the sum of:

     (1) intangible assets, including goodwill, cost of acquired businesses in
         excess of recorded net assets at acquisition dates, patents, licenses,
         trademarks, trade names, copyrights, unamortized debt discount and
         expense less unamortized debt premium, and corporate organization
         expense, but excluding deferred charges and prepaid expense;

     (2) any write-up of the book value of any assets, other than

          (a) equity in Subsidiaries which are not Consolidated Subsidiaries and

          (b) as a result of currency revaluations,

          resulting from the revaluation thereof subsequent to March 31, 1986;

     (3) all liabilities of TRW and its Consolidated Subsidiaries other than:

          (a) Funded Debt;

          (b) capital stock;

          (c) surplus;

          (d) surplus reserves;

          (e) reserves for deferred Federal income taxes arising from
              accelerated depreciation, investment and other tax credits, and
              similar provisions; and

          (f) contingency reserves not allocated for any particular purpose;

     (4) reserves for depreciation and amortization and other reserves, other
         than the reserves referred to in the preceding clause (3); and

     (5) any minority interest in the shares of stock and surplus of any
         Consolidated Subsidiary.

     "Consolidated Subsidiary" means each Subsidiary other than:

     (1) any Subsidiary the accounts of which

          (a) are not required by generally accepted accounting principles to be
              consolidated with those of TRW for financial reporting purposes
              and

          (b) were not consolidated with those of TRW in TRW's then most recent
              annual report to shareholders and are not intended by TRW to be
              consolidated with those of TRW in its next annual report to
              shareholders; or

     (2) any Subsidiary the primary business of which consists of financing the
         sale or lease of merchandise, equipment or services by TRW or any
         Subsidiary or owning, leasing, dealing in or developing real property,
         or providing services directly related thereto, or which is otherwise
         primarily engaged in the business of a finance or real estate company.

     "Domestic Subsidiary" means each Consolidated Subsidiary other than:

     (1) any Consolidated Subsidiary which the Board of Directors reasonably
         determines not to be material to the business or financial condition of
         TRW;

     (2) any Consolidated Subsidiary the major portion of the assets of which
         are located, or the major portion of the business of which is carried
         on, outside the United States of America, its territories and
         possessions;
                                        8
<PAGE>   40

     (3) any Consolidated Subsidiary which, during the 12 most recent calendar
         months, or such shorter period as shall have elapsed since its
         organization, derived the major portion of its gross revenues from
         sources outside the United States of America;

     (4) any Consolidated Subsidiary the major portion of the assets of which
         consists of securities or obligations, or both, of one or more
         corporations, whether or not Consolidated Subsidiaries, of the types
         described in the preceding clauses (2) and (3); and

     (5) any Consolidated Subsidiary organized after March 31, 1986 which TRW
         intends shall be operated in such manner as to come within one or more
         of the preceding clauses (2), (3) and (4).

     "Exempted Indebtedness" means, as of any particular time, the sum of:

     (1) the aggregate principal amount of all then outstanding indebtedness for
         borrowed money of TRW and its Domestic Subsidiaries incurred after May
         1, 1986, and secured by any mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien
         other than those permitted under any of clauses (1) through (5) under
         the heading " -- Covenants -- Limitation on Liens" below; and

     (2) all Attributable Debt pursuant to Sale and Leaseback Transactions
         incurred by TRW and its Domestic Subsidiaries after May 1, 1986, at
         that time outstanding other than that which is not prohibited by or is
         permitted pursuant to clause (1) or (2) under the heading
         "-- Covenants -- Limitation on Sale and Leaseback" below.

     "Funded Debt" means all indebtedness for money borrowed having a maturity

     (1) of more than 12 months from the date that indebtedness was incurred, or

     (2) of 12 months or less but by its terms being renewable or extendable
         beyond 12 months from the date that indebtedness was incurred at the
         option of the borrower.

     "Person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, business trust,
joint stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, joint venture,
government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity.

     "Principal Property" means any single manufacturing plant, engineering
facility or research facility owned or leased by TRW or a Domestic Subsidiary
other than any such plant or facility or portion thereof which the Board of
Directors reasonably determines not to be of material importance to TRW and its
Subsidiaries taken as a whole.

     "Securities" means any debt securities authenticated and delivered under
the indenture.

     "Subsidiary" means each corporation of which TRW, or TRW and one or more
Subsidiaries, or any one or more Subsidiaries, directly or indirectly owns
securities entitling the holders thereof to elect a majority of the directors,
either at all times or so long as there is no default or contingency which
permits the holders of any other class or classes of securities to vote for the
election of one or more directors. As used in this definition, the term
"corporation" includes comparable types of business organizations authorized
under the laws of foreign countries and the term "directors" includes the
members of the governing bodies of those business organizations.

     "Wholly Owned Domestic Subsidiary" means each Domestic Subsidiary all the
outstanding shares of which, other than directors' qualifying shares, shall at
the time be owned by TRW, or by TRW and one or more Wholly Owned Domestic
Subsidiaries, or by one or more Wholly Owned Domestic Subsidiaries.

                                        9
<PAGE>   41

COVENANTS

     We have agreed to some restrictions on our activities for the benefit of
holders of the debt securities. The restrictive covenants described below will
apply so long as any of the debt securities issued under the indenture are
outstanding unless the holders of a particular series waive the covenant or the
indenture is amended. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe any
different or additional covenants.

     LIMITATION ON LIENS

     We have agreed that, so long as any debt securities remain outstanding
under the indenture, we will not, and we will not cause or permit any Domestic
Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, create or assume any mortgage,
encumbrance, lien, pledge or security interest of any kind upon or in

     (1) any of its interests in any Principal Property, or

     (2) any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Domestic Subsidiary,

whether that interest, capital stock or indebtedness is now owned or hereafter
acquired, if that mortgage secures or is intended to secure, directly or
indirectly, the payment of any indebtedness for borrowed money evidenced by
notes, bonds, debentures or other similar evidences of indebtedness ("Debt")
without making effective provision, and TRW in that case will make or cause to
be made effective provision, whereby all of the Securities shall be secured by
that mortgage equally and ratably with any other Debt thereby secured.

     This restriction does not apply to:

     (1) mortgages on any Principal Property acquired, constructed or improved
         by TRW or any Domestic Subsidiary after the date of the indenture which
         are created or assumed contemporaneously with, or within 120 days
         after, that acquisition or completion of that construction or
         improvement to secure or provide for payment of any part of the
         purchase price of that Principal Property or the cost of that
         construction or improvement incurred after May 1, 1986, or, in addition
         to mortgages contemplated by clauses (2) and (3) below, mortgages on
         any such Principal Property existing at the time or placed thereon at
         the time of acquisition or leasing thereof by TRW or any Domestic
         Subsidiary, or conditional sales agreements or other title retention
         agreements with respect to any Principal Property now owned or leased
         or hereafter acquired or leased by TRW or a Domestic Subsidiary;

     (2) mortgages on property, which includes shares of capital stock or
         indebtedness of a corporation, of a corporation existing

          (a) at the time that corporation becomes a Domestic Subsidiary or is
              merged or consolidated with TRW or a Domestic Subsidiary, or

          (b) at the time of a sale, lease or other disposition of the
              properties of that corporation, or a division thereof, or other
              Person as an entirety or substantially as an entirety, to TRW or a
              Domestic Subsidiary,

            provided that no such mortgage shall extend to any other Principal
            Property of TRW or any Domestic Subsidiary or to any shares of
            capital stock or any indebtedness of any Domestic Subsidiary;

     (3) mortgages created by TRW or a Domestic Subsidiary to secure
         indebtedness of TRW or a Domestic Subsidiary to TRW or to a Wholly
         Owned Domestic Subsidiary;

     (4) mortgages in favor of the United States of America or any state,
         territory or possession thereof, or any foreign country or any
         department, agency, instrumentality or political

                                       10
<PAGE>   42

         subdivision of any of such domestic or foreign jurisdictions to secure
         partial, progress, advance or other payments pursuant to any contract
         or statute or to secure any debt incurred for the purpose of financing
         all or part of the purchase price of, or the cost of constructing, the
         property subject to such mortgages; and

     (5) mortgages for the sole purpose of extending, renewing or replacing, or
         successively extending, renewing or replacing, in whole or in part any
         mortgage existing on May 1, 1986 or referred to in the foregoing
         clauses (1) to (4) inclusive or of any debt secured thereby; provided,
         however, that the principal amount of indebtedness secured thereby
         shall not exceed the principal amount of indebtedness so secured at the
         time of that extension, renewal or replacement, and that extension,
         renewal or replacement mortgage will be limited to all or a part of the
         property which secured the mortgage so extended, renewed or replaced,
         plus improvements on that property.

     Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, TRW or any Domestic Subsidiary
may, without equally and ratably securing all the Securities of each series,
create or assume mortgages which would otherwise be subject to the foregoing
restrictions if at the time of such creation or assumption, and after giving
effect thereto, Exempted Indebtedness does not exceed 15% of Consolidated Net
Tangible Assets determined as of the date not more than 90 days prior thereto.

     LIMITATION ON SALE AND LEASEBACK

     TRW will not, and it will not permit any Domestic Subsidiary to, sell,
lease or transfer any Principal Property owned by TRW or a Domestic Subsidiary
as an entirety, or any substantial portion thereof, to anyone other than a
Wholly Owned Domestic Subsidiary, or TRW or a Wholly Owned Domestic Subsidiary
in the case of a Domestic Subsidiary, with the intention of taking back a lease
of that property, a "Sale and Leaseback Transaction," except a lease for a
period of not more than 36 months by the end of which it is intended that the
use of that property by the lessee will be discontinued.

     Notwithstanding the foregoing, TRW or any Domestic Subsidiary may sell any
such property and lease it back if the net proceeds of that sale are at least
equal to the fair value, as determined by resolution adopted by the Board of
Directors of TRW, of that property, and:

     (1) TRW or such Domestic Subsidiary would be entitled, pursuant to clauses
         (1) through (5) of the foregoing Limitation on Liens covenant, to
         create Debt secured by a mortgage on the Principal Property to be
         leased in an amount equal to the Attributable Debt with respect to that
         Sale and Leaseback Transaction without equally and ratably securing all
         the debt securities issued under the indenture, or

     (2) if that sale or transfer does not come within the exception provided by
         the preceding clause, the net proceeds of that sale shall, and in any
         such case TRW covenants that they will, within 120 days after that
         sale, be applied, to the greatest extent possible, either

          (a) to the redemption of Securities subject to and in accordance with
              the provisions of the indenture and at the then applicable
              Redemption Price or to the acquisition and delivery to the trustee
              for cancellation of Securities, that acquisition to be at a price
              not exceeding the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid
              interest and brokerage fees, or

          (b) to the retirement of other Consolidated Funded Debt of TRW ranking
              at least on a parity with the Securities of each series, or in
              part to one or more of such alternatives and in part to another;

                                       11
<PAGE>   43

            provided that, in lieu of applying all or any part of that net
            proceeds to that redemption, TRW may, within 90 days after that
            sale, deliver to the trustee for cancellation, or receive credit for
            theretofore delivered and cancelled, Securities previously
            authenticated and delivered by the trustee and not theretofore
            tendered for mandatory sinking fund purposes or called for the
            mandatory sinking fund and with respect to which credit under this
            Limitation on Sale and Leaseback section had not theretofore been
            received, and an officers' certificate stating that TRW elects to
            deliver such Securities in lieu of redeeming Securities as provided
            above. If TRW shall so deliver Securities to the trustee, or receive
            credit for Securities so delivered, the amount of cash which TRW
            shall be required to apply to the redemption of Securities under
            this Limitation on Sale and Leaseback section shall be reduced by an
            amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of such Securities.

     Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, TRW or any Domestic Subsidiary
may enter into Sale and Leaseback Transactions if, at the time of such entering
into, and after giving effect thereto, Exempted Indebtedness does not exceed 15%
of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets determined as of a date not more than 90
days prior thereto.

LEVERAGED TRANSACTIONS

     Other than the restrictions on liens and sale and leaseback transactions
described above, or as may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement
with respect to any series of debt securities, the indenture does not contain
and the debt securities will not contain any covenants or other provisions
designed to afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event of a
highly leveraged transaction involving TRW.

EVENTS OF DEFAULT

     The indenture defines an event of default with respect to any series of
debt securities as any one of the following events, unless it is inapplicable:

     (1) failure of TRW for 60 days to pay interest on any debt security of that
         series;

     (2) failure of TRW to pay principal or premium, if any, when due with
         respect to any debt securities of that series;

     (3) failure of TRW for 10 days to satisfy any sinking fund obligation with
         respect to any debt securities of that series;

     (4) failure of TRW for 75 days after appropriate notice to perform any
         other covenant or agreement in the indenture applicable to that series;
         or

     (5) events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization specified in the
         indenture.

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe any additional or different
events of default.

     No event of default with respect to a particular series of debt securities
necessarily constitutes an event of default with respect to any other series of
debt securities. If an event of default shall occur and be continuing with
respect to any series of debt securities, the trustee or the holders of not less
than 25% of the total principal amount of the debt securities of that series
then outstanding may declare the principal of that series, or a portion of the
principal amount in the case of original issue discount securities, to be due
and payable. Any event of default with respect to a particular series of debt
securities, other than nonpayment of principal, premium, interest, or sinking
fund installments, may be waived by the holders of a majority of the total
principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series.

     The indenture requires TRW to file annually with the trustee a written
statement of certain of our officers as to the existence of defaults in
performance of any covenants contained in the

                                       12
<PAGE>   44

indenture. The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of
a particular series of any default if the trustee determines in good faith that
its withholding of notice is in the interest of the holders of those securities.
However, the trustee may not withhold notice if our default is in the payment of
principal, premium if any, interest, or in the making of any sinking fund
payment.

CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE

     The indenture provides that TRW may consolidate with, or sell or convey all
or substantially all of its assets to, or merge into, any other entity, if:

     (1) the corporation formed by that consolidation or into which we are
         merged, or the entity which acquired all or substantially all of TRW's
         assets shall be organized and existing under the laws of the United
         States of America or any state thereof;

     (2) that entity expressly assumes the due and punctual payment of the
         principal of, and premium, if any, and interest on all the Securities
         and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the
         covenants and conditions of the indenture to be performed, observed or
         satisfied by TRW;

     (3) immediately after that merger or consolidation, or that sale or
         conveyance, no event of default shall have occurred or be continuing;
         and

     (4) that entity shall not immediately thereafter have outstanding any
         secured indebtedness not permitted by the covenant described under
         "-- Covenants -- Limitation on Liens," unless that entity has secured
         the Securities equally and ratably with the debt secured by the
         mortgage securing that other indebtedness, if that entity could not
         create such other mortgage without violating that covenant.

DEFEASANCE

     The indenture provides that TRW, at its option, either:

     (1) will be discharged from any and all obligations with respect to any
         series of debt securities, except for certain obligations to register
         the transfer or exchange of the securities, replace stolen, lost or
         mutilated securities, maintain paying agencies and hold moneys for
         payment in trust, or

     (2) need not comply with the restrictive covenants of the indenture as
         described under "-- Covenants -- Limitation on Liens" and
         "-- Covenants -- Limitation on Sale and Leaseback" with respect to any
         series of Securities,

upon the deposit with the trustee or, in the case of a discharge of obligations,
91 days after that deposit, in trust, of money or the equivalent in securities
of the government that issued the currency in which the securities are
denominated or government agencies backed by the full faith and credit of that
government, or a combination thereof, which through the payment of interest
thereon and principal thereof in accordance with their terms will provide money
in an amount sufficient to pay all the principal of, including any mandatory
sinking fund payments, and interest on, and any repurchase obligations with
respect to, that series of securities on the dates such payments are due in
accordance with the terms of the securities.

     To exercise any such option, no event of default, or event which with
notice or lapse of time would become an event of default, with respect to such
series of securities shall have occurred and be continuing. TRW is required to
deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the deposit and
related defeasance would not cause the holders of the securities to recognize
income, gain or loss for United States Federal income tax purposes and, in the
case of a discharge of obligations, accompanied by a ruling to that effect
received from or published by the Internal Revenue Service.
                                       13
<PAGE>   45

MODIFICATION OF THE INDENTURE

     We may, without the consent of any holder of debt securities issued under
the indenture, enter into one or more supplemental indentures to, among other
things,

     - cure any ambiguity

     - correct or supplement any provision that may be defective or inconsistent
       with any other provision, or

     - make such other provisions under the indenture as shall not adversely
       affect the interests of the holders of the debt securities issued under
       the indenture.

     In addition, our rights and obligations and the rights of the holders of
the debt securities may be modified by us with the consent of the holders of not
less than 66 2/3% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt
securities of each series to be affected. However, we may not, without the
consent of the holders of all outstanding debt securities to be affected, make
modifications that would, among other things:

     - change the maturity of any debt security;

     - reduce the principal amount of any debt security or any premium on any
       debt security;

     - reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest on any debt
       security;

     - change the method of computing the amount of principal of any debt
       security on any date; or

     - reduce the percentage of outstanding debt securities of each series whose
       consent is needed to modify or alter the indenture.

     A supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other
provision of the indenture which has expressly been included solely for the
benefit of one or more particular series of debt securities, or which modifies
the rights of the holders of debt securities of that series with respect to that
covenant or other provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under the
indenture of the holders of debt securities of any other series.

THE TRUSTEE

     The Chase Manhattan Bank is the trustee under the indenture. The trustee is
a depository for funds and performs other services for, and transacts other
banking business with, TRW in the normal course of business.

     The holders of a majority of the total principal amount of all outstanding
debt securities will have the right, subject to certain limitations, to direct
the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available
to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee.

     If an event of default occurs and is not cured or waived, the trustee will
be required to exercise the rights and powers under the indenture and to use the
degree of care and skill in their exercise that a prudent man would exercise or
use in the conduct of his own affairs. Other than this requirement, the trustee
will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the
indenture at the request of any of the holders of the debt securities of any
series, unless they have offered the trustee reasonable security or indemnity.

GOVERNING LAW

     The indenture is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of
the State of New York.

                                       14
<PAGE>   46

                          DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

     Our authorized capital stock consists of

     (1) 500,000,000 shares of common stock,

     (2) 99,536 shares of Serial Preference Stock, without par value, the
         "Serial Preference Stock," and

     (3) 5,000,000 shares of Serial Preference Stock II, without par value, the
         "Serial Preference Stock II" and, together with the Serial Preference
         Stock, the "Preference Stock."

     The following is a summary of the material provisions concerning our
capital stock contained in our Amended Articles of Incorporation, our
Regulations and the Rights Agreement, dated as of April 24, 1996, between us and
National City Bank, as rights agent. This summary does not restate those
documents in their entirety. We have filed the Articles, Regulations and Rights
Agreement with the SEC. See "Available Information" and "Incorporation of
Certain Documents by Reference" on page 2 of this prospectus for information on
how to obtain a copy of those documents. We urge you to read the Articles,
Regulations and Rights Agreement, because those documents, and not this
description, defines your rights as holders of our equity securities.

COMMON STOCK

     As of November 5, 1999, there were 133,574,211 shares of common stock
issued, 11,960,549 shares held in treasury and 121,613,662 shares outstanding
and held of record by 23,313 shareholders. Holders of the shares of common stock
have no preemptive or conversion rights. We are not entitled to make further
calls or assessment on the common stock. Each share of common stock is entitled
to one vote on the election of directors and all other matters on which
shareholders are entitled to vote. The holders of common stock are not entitled
to cumulative voting rights, except if requested pursuant to Ohio law. The
outstanding shares of common stock are listed on the New York, Chicago,
Philadelphia, Pacific, Frankfurt and London Stock Exchanges.

     Holders of common stock are entitled to receive dividends and other
distributions when, as and if declared from time to time by our board of
directors out of funds legally available for that purpose. These rights are
subject to any preferential rights of, and sinking fund or redemption or
purchase rights with respect to, outstanding shares of Preference Stock. We are
not permitted to pay dividends to holders of common stock if we have not paid or
provided for the dividends fixed with respect to the Preference Stock.

     If TRW were voluntarily or involuntarily liquidated, dissolved or wound up,
the holders of outstanding shares of common stock would be entitled to share
ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities and after
satisfaction of prior distribution rights and payment of any distributions owing
to holders of shares of Preference Stock then outstanding.

PREFERENCE STOCK

     Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the
shareholders, to issue Preference Stock. The board of directors may issue
Preference Stock in one or more series and may fix the rights, designations,
preferences, privileges, qualifications and restrictions thereof, including
dividend rights, conversion rights, terms and rights of redemption, liquidation
preferences and sinking fund terms, any or all of which may be greater than the
rights of the common stock. Shares of Preference Stock rank, as to dividend and
liquidation rights, senior to common stock and on a parity with each other.
Dividends on Preference Stock are cumulative from the date of issuance or from
such other date or dates as may be fixed for the series by the board of
directors. The board of directors, without action of the shareholders, can issue
shares of

                                       15
<PAGE>   47

Preference Stock with conversion, voting and other rights that could adversely
affect the rights of the holders of shares of common stock.

     SERIAL PREFERENCE STOCK

     As of the date of this prospectus, we have 99,536 authorized shares of
Serial Preference Stock. As of the date of this prospectus, we have no shares of
Serial Preference Stock outstanding.

     Rights Upon Liquidation. The holders of Serial Preference Stock are
entitled to receive $100 per share in the event of any involuntary liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of our affairs.

     Voting Rights. The holders of Serial Preference Stock are entitled to two
votes per share. Holders of common stock, Serial Preference Stock II and Serial
Preference Stock vote together as one class on all matters, except following
certain defaults in the payment of dividends on the Preference Stock as
specified in our Articles, or with respect to certain transactions or amendments
to our Articles, which require holders of Serial Preference Stock II and Serial
Preference Stock to vote separately as two classes.

     SERIAL PREFERENCE STOCK II

     As of October 1, 1999, we have two series of Serial Preference Stock II
outstanding:

     - Cumulative Preference Stock II, $4.40 Convertible Series 1, "Series 1;"
       and

     - Cumulative Serial Preference Stock II, $4.50 Convertible Series 3,
       "Series 3."

     As of November 5, 1999, TRW had 1,735,000 authorized shares of Series 1, of
which 35,161 shares were outstanding, and 2,120,000 authorized shares of Series
3, of which 64,405 shares were outstanding.

     In addition, 1,145,000 shares of Cumulative Redeemable Serial Preference
Stock II, Series 4, "Series 4" are authorized. As of October 1, 1999, no shares
of Series 4 were outstanding.

     Dividends and Rights Upon Liquidation. The fixed annual dividend rates are
$4.40 per share for Series 1 and $4.50 per share for Series 3. The quarterly
dividend rate fixed for each share of Series 4 is the lesser of $100 or 100
times the aggregate per share dividend amounts declared on a share of common
stock since the immediately preceding quarterly dividend payment date.

     The holders of outstanding shares of Series 1 are entitled to receive $104
per share and the holders of Series 3 are entitled to receive $40 per share, in
case of any involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of
TRW. These holders are entitled to receive an amount equal to the redemption
price in effect on the distribution date in case of any voluntary liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the affairs of TRW. In the event of any
liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of TRW, the holders of
outstanding shares of Series 4 are entitled to receive an amount per share at
least equal to the redemption price in effect on the distribution date.

     Voting Rights. Each share of Serial Preference Stock II is entitled to one
vote per share. Holders of common stock, Serial Preference Stock II and Serial
Preference Stock vote together as one class on all matters, except following
certain defaults in the payment of dividends on the Preference Stock, or with
respect to certain transactions or amendments to our Articles, which require
holders of Serial Preference Stock II and Serial Preference Stock to vote
separately as two classes.

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<PAGE>   48

     Conversion at the Option of the Holder. Each share of Series 1 is
convertible into 8.8 shares of common stock, as adjusted, at the option of the
holder at any time prior to redemption. Each share of Series 3 is convertible
into 7.448 shares of common stock, as adjusted, at the option of the holder at
any time prior to redemption. The Articles provide that these conversion ratios
will be adjusted to reflect stock splits, stock dividends, combinations and
certain issuances of securities and distributions.

     Shares of Series 4 are not convertible into shares of common stock.

     Redemption. We have the right to redeem all the outstanding shares of
Serial Preference Stock II. Shares of Series 1 are redeemable at a price of $104
per share and shares of Series 3 are redeemable at a price of $100 per share.
Shares of Series 4 are redeemable at a price of $30,000 per share, as that
amount may be adjusted from time to time pursuant to the Rights Agreement.

RIGHTS AGREEMENT

     Under the Rights Agreement, each outstanding share of common stock is
accompanied by one-half of one right to purchase a share of Series 4 if a
"distribution date" occurs. We describe the meaning of "distribution date"
below. We refer to these purchase rights as the "rights".

     Until a distribution date occurs, the rights can be transferred only with
the common stock. The rights are not exercisable prior to a distribution date.
Until a right is exercised, holding a right will not give the holder any rights
as a shareholder of TRW, such as the right to vote or to receive dividends.

     DISTRIBUTION OF RIGHTS

     No right is exercisable at any time prior to a "distribution date." On the
occurrence of a distribution date, the rights will separate from the common
stock and become exercisable. A "distribution date" will occur upon the earliest
of the close of business on:

     (1) the tenth business day after a public announcement that a person or
         group of affiliated or associated persons, an "acquiring person," has
         acquired or obtained the right to acquire beneficial ownership of 20%
         or more of the total voting rights of the outstanding shares of our
         capital stock which by its terms may be voted on all matters submitted
         to our shareholders generally. However, an acquiring person will not
         include

          (a) us,

          (b) any of our subsidiaries,

          (c) any of our employee benefit plans or any entity holding shares for
              or pursuant to any such plan,

          (d) any person who acquires voting securities from us in transactions
              approved by our board of directors,

          (e) any person who becomes the beneficial owner of 20% or more of the
              outstanding voting shares as a result of an acquisition of shares
              by us, so long as that person does not later acquire additional
              voting shares, or

          (f) any person whom our board of directors determines inadvertently
              became the owner of 20% of our voting shares and who promptly
              divests shares to fall below that level.

     (2) the tenth business day, or such later date as may be specified by a
         majority of our board of directors, after the date of the commencement
         of a tender or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in
         a person or group beneficially owning 20% or

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<PAGE>   49

         more of the outstanding shares of our capital stock that by its terms
         may be voted on all matters submitted to our shareholders generally;
         and

     (3) the tenth business day after a "flip-in" or "flip-over" event described
         below occurs, which results in the rights becoming exercisable to
         purchase shares of our common stock or common stock of another person.

     EXERCISE

     Following a distribution date, holders of rights will be entitled to
purchase from us one one-hundredth of a share of Series 4 at a purchase price of
$300 per one one-hundredth of a share of Series 4, subject to adjustment. Upon
the occurrence of certain events described below, the rights will become
exercisable to purchase shares of our common stock or common stock of another
person instead of shares of Series 4.

     If

     (1) an acquiring person merges into or combines with us where we are the
         surviving corporation or engages in one or more "self-dealing"
         transactions with us as described in our rights agreement,

     (2) during the time that there is an acquiring person, there is a
         reclassification of securities or other transaction that increases by
         more than 1% the amount of our securities owned by the acquiring
         person,

     (3) any person or group becomes an acquiring person,

     (4) our board of directors determines that a person is or intends to, or
         that a person has announced an intention to, become the owner of a what
         the board determines is a substantial amount of voting shares, which
         must be at least 5% of the outstanding voting shares, and that such
         ownership is causing or may reasonably be anticipated to cause a
         material adverse effect on our government contracting business; such a
         person, an "adverse person," or

     (5) our board of directors has established a specific percentage of voting
         shares as to any specific person that, if owned by that person, will
         result in that person being declared an adverse person in accordance
         with the criteria set forth in the preceding clause (4) and that person
         acquires that percentage of voting shares,

then the rights will "flip-in". At the time that the rights "flip-in," the
rights beneficially owned by any acquiring person or an adverse person will
become null and void and the other holders of rights will be entitled to
purchase, at the exercise price of the right, a number of shares of our common
stock, or in some circumstances cash, property or other securities of TRW or any
combination thereof, with a market value equal to twice the exercise price of
the right.

     If, after any person has become an acquiring person,

     (1) we merge with or into any person and we are not the surviving
         corporation,

     (2) any person merges with or into us and we are the surviving corporation,
         but our common stock is changed or exchanged, or

     (3) 50% or more of our assets or earning power, including securities
         creating obligations of TRW, is sold to any person,

then the rights will "flip-over." At the time that the rights "flip-over," each
holder of a right, other than rights held by an acquiring person or an adverse
person, will have the right to receive, upon exercise of the rights of the
Series 4 purchase price, a number of shares of common stock, or in some
circumstances, an economically equivalent security or securities, of

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<PAGE>   50

such other person with a market value at the time of the transaction equal to
twice the exercise price of the right.

     EXERCISE PRICE

     The purchase price payable on exercise of the rights, and the number of
shares of Series 4 or other securities or property issuable upon exercise of the
rights are subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution. With
certain exceptions, no adjustment in the purchase price will be required until
cumulative adjustments require an adjustment in the purchase price of at least
one percent. No fractional shares of Series 4 will be issued, other than
fractions that are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of Series
4. Instead of issuing fractional shares, we will make a payment in cash based on
the market price of the shares of Series 4 on the last trading day prior to the
date of exercise.

     REDEMPTION OF RIGHTS

     The rights expire on April 24, 2006, unless our board of directors decides
to redeem them before that time. The redemption price is $.01 per right, subject
to adjustment. We may redeem the rights at the redemption price at any time
prior to the earlier of (i) the close of business on the tenth business day
after the first occurrence of a flip-in event or a flip-over event or (ii) April
24, 2006. If we redeem any of the rights, we must redeem them all. Our board of
directors may not redeem the rights after they declare a person to be an adverse
person.

     Once the board of directors elects to redeem the rights, the right to
exercise the rights will terminate and the only right of holders of rights will
be to receive the redemption price. We will give notice of any redemption to the
holders of the then outstanding rights by mailing a notice to those holders at
their addresses as they appear on the registry books of the rights agent.

     EXCHANGE RIGHT

     After a flip-in event or a flip-over event occurs, but before any person or
group of affiliated or associated persons becomes the beneficial owner of 50% or
more of the then outstanding shares of common stock, we may exchange all or part
of the then outstanding and exercisable rights for shares of common stock at an
exchange ratio of one share of common stock per right, as adjusted.

     Once the board of directors orders the exchange of any rights, the right to
exercise those rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder
of those rights will be to receive the appropriate number of shares of common
stock in exchange. We will give notice of any exchange by making a public
announcement and by mailing notice of the exchange to all the holders of the
affected rights at their addresses on the registry books of the rights agent.

     AMENDMENTS

     We may amend the rights agreement without the approval of any holders of
rights in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any defective or
inconsistent provision, or to make any other provisions with respect to the
rights as we may deem necessary or desirable. From and after the earlier of (i)
the distribution date or (ii) the date on which the board of directors declare
any person to be an adverse person, however, the rights agreement may not be
amended in any manner that would adversely affect the interests of the holders
of rights. We may at any time prior to that time amend the rights agreement to
lower the ownership thresholds governing when a beneficial owner becomes an
acquiring person, and therefore when the distribution date occurs, to not less
than the greater of (a) the sum of .001% plus the largest percentage of
outstanding shares of common stock then beneficially owned by any person other
than us, any of our subsidiaries, any of our employee benefit plans or stock
ownership plans or

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<PAGE>   51

any person who acquires voting shares from us in transactions approved by our
board of directors, or (b) 10%.

     PURPOSE AND EFFECT OF RIGHTS

     The rights are designed to protect our interests and the interests of our
shareholders against coercive takeover tactics. The purpose of the rights is to
encourage potential acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors before
attempting a takeover and to provide the board of directors with leverage in
negotiating the terms of any proposed takeover on behalf of all shareholders.
The rights may have anti-takeover effects. The rights will cause substantial
dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire us on terms not approved
by our board of directors. The rights should not interfere with any merger or
other business combination approved by our board of directors since the board of
directors may, at their option, at any time until ten business days after the
first occurrence of a flip-in event or a flip-over event, redeem all of the then
outstanding rights at the applicable redemption price.

OHIO LAW AND CERTAIN CHARTER PROVISIONS

     There are statutory provisions of Ohio law and provisions in our Articles
and Regulations that may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or
delaying or preventing changes in control or changes in management of TRW,
including transactions in which TRW shareholders might otherwise receive a
premium over the then-current market prices for their shares.

     Our Articles and Regulations contain various provisions that may have the
effect, either alone or in combination with each other, of making more difficult
or discouraging a business combination or an attempt to obtain control of TRW
that is not approved by the board of directors. These provisions include:

     (1) the right of the board of directors to issue unissued and unreserved
         shares of common stock without shareholder approval;

     (2) the right of the board of directors to issue shares of Preference Stock
         in one or more series and to designate the number of shares of those
         series and the relative rights and preferences of those series,
         including voting rights, redemption terms and prices and conversion
         rights, without further shareholder approval;

     (3) a board of directors divided into three classes such that directors are
         elected to serve for three-year staggered terms;

     (4) provisions prohibiting the removal of directors without cause except
         upon the vote of holders of two-thirds of the combined voting power
         represented by the outstanding shares of common stock, Serial
         Preference Stock and Serial Preference Stock II; and

     (5) provisions restricting the ability of shareholders to call a special
         meeting except upon the consent of shareholders representing 35% of the
         outstanding shares entitled to vote at that special meeting.

     Under Ohio law, any person who proposes to make a "control share
acquisition" must provide written notice thereof to the target corporation and
must obtain prior shareholder approval. A "control share acquisition" is the
acquisition of shares in an "issuing public corporation" resulting in the person
being able to exercise voting power in the election of directors of the issuing
public corporation within three ranges:

     (1) one-fifth to one-third,

     (2) one-third to one-half, and

     (3) more than one-half

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<PAGE>   52

of that voting power. TRW is an "issuing public corporation."

     Further, Ohio law prohibits any person who owns 10% or more of an issuing
public corporation's stock from engaging in mergers, consolidations, majority
share acquisitions, asset sales, loans and other specified transactions with the
corporation for a three-year period after acquiring the 10% ownership, unless
approval is first obtained from the corporation's board of directors. After the
three-year waiting period, the 10% shareholder can complete the transaction only
if, among other things: (a) approval is received from two-thirds of all voting
shares and from a majority of shares not held by the 10% shareholder or certain
affiliated persons; or (b) the transaction meets specified criteria designed to
ensure fairness to all remaining shareholders. TRW is an issuing public
corporation under this statute.

TRANSFER AGENTS AND REGISTRARS

     The transfer agents for the common stock are TRW and National City Bank;
the registrar is National City Bank. The rights agent is also National City
Bank. These agents are located in Cleveland, Ohio.

AGREEMENTS

     TRW is, and from time to time will become, a party to agreements which may
have the effect of restricting dividends and other distributions on, and the
purchase, redemption or retirement of, our capital stock.

                            DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

     TRW may issue debt warrants for the purchase of debt securities or common
stock warrants for the purchase of common stock. Debt warrants and common stock
warrants are referred to in this prospectus collectively as "Securities
Warrants". Securities Warrants may be issued independently or together with any
debt securities or common stock offered by any prospectus supplement and may be
attached to or separate from those debt securities or common stock.

     Each series of Securities Warrants will be issued under a separate warrant
agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant
agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with warrant
certificates evidencing the Securities Warrants. The warrant agent will not
assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders
of warrant certificates or beneficial owners of Securities Warrants.

     This prospectus summarizes the material terms of the form of warrant
agreements and warrant certificates which have been filed as exhibits to the
registration statement. This summary does not restate those documents in their
entirety. You should read the warrant agreement and warrant certificate for
provisions summarized below and others that may be important to you.

GENERAL

     The prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants will
include the specific forms of the series, including, where applicable, the
following:

     - the title of the Securities Warrants;

     - the offering price;

     - the currency or currency units in which the purchase price for offered
       Securities Warrants may be payable;

     - the title, total principal amount, currency or currency units and other
       terms of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of debt warrants;
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<PAGE>   53

     - the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon the exercise of a
       common stock warrant;

     - the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to the Securities
       Warrants;

     - the designation and terms of the debt securities with which the offered
       debt warrants are issued and the number of debt warrants issued with each
       such debt security;

     - the date on and after which the Securities Warrants and the related debt
       securities or shares of common stock will be separately transferable;

     - the price and currency or currency units at which the amount of debt
       securities or shares of common stock, as the case may be, may be
       purchased upon exercise;

     - the date on which the right to exercise the Securities Warrants begins
       and the date on which the right to exercise expires, the "expiration
       date;"

     - the minimum and maximum amount of Securities Warrants that may be
       exercised at any one time;

     - the antidilution provisions of the Securities Warrants, if any;

     - United States Federal income tax consequences applicable to that
       Securities Warrant;

     - whether the Securities Warrants represented by the warrant certificates
       will be issued in registered or bearer form; and

     - any other terms of the Securities Warrants, including terms, procedures
       and limitations relating to exchange and exercise of the Securities
       Warrants.

TRANSFERS AND EXCHANGE

     Warrant certificates may be exchanged for new warrant certificates of
different denominations, may, if in registered form, be presented for
registration of transfer, and may be exercised at the corporate trust office of
the warrant agent. We may specify other offices where these activities may be
conducted in an applicable prospectus supplement. Before the exercise of any
Securities Warrants, holders of the Securities Warrants will not have any of the
rights of holders of the debt securities or common stock, as the case may be,
purchasable upon exercise. This means holders of debt warrants will not have the
right to receive payments of principal, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on
the debt securities purchasable upon exercise or to enforce covenants in the
indenture governing the underlying debt securities. Holders of common stock
warrants will not have the right to receive payments of dividends, if any, on
the common stock purchasable upon such exercise or to exercise any applicable
right to vote.

EXERCISE

     Each Securities Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the principal
amount of debt securities or the number of shares of common stock at the
exercise price that is set forth in, or calculable from, an applicable
prospectus supplement. Holders will be able to exercise Securities Warrants at
any time up to the time on the expiration date set forth in an applicable
prospectus supplement. After that time, or a later date to which such expiration
date may be extended by us, unexercised Securities Warrants will become void.

     Holders will be able to exercise Securities Warrants by delivering to the
warrant agent at its corporate trust office warrant certificates properly
completed and payment of the exercise price. As soon as practicable after such
delivery, we will issue and deliver to the indicated holder the debt securities
or shares of common stock issuable upon that exercise. If fewer than all of the
Securities Warrants represented by a warrant certificate are exercised, we will
issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining number of Securities Warrants.

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<PAGE>   54

        DESCRIPTION OF STOCK PURCHASE CONTRACTS AND STOCK PURCHASE UNITS

     The following description, together with applicable prospectus supplements,
summarizes the material terms and provisions of the stock purchase contracts and
stock purchase units that we may offer pursuant to this prospectus.

     We may issue stock purchase contracts representing contracts obligating
holders to purchase from us, and obligating us to sell to the holders, a
specified number of shares of common stock at a future date or dates.

     The price per share of common stock and number of shares of common stock
may be fixed at the time the stock purchase contracts are issued or may be
determined by reference to a specific formula set forth in the stock purchase
contracts. The stock purchase contracts may be issued separately or as a part of
stock purchase units consisting of a stock purchase contract and debt securities
or debt obligations of third parties, including U.S. Treasury securities,
securing the holders' obligations to purchase the common stock under the stock
purchase contracts.

     The stock purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to
the holders of the stock purchase units or vice-versa. These payments may be
unsecured or prefunded on some basis that will be set forth in the applicable
prospectus supplement. Holders may be required to secure their obligations under
the stock purchase contracts in a manner specified in the applicable prospectus
supplement.

                              PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     We may sell the securities offered by this prospectus in any one or more,
or in any combination, of the following ways:

     - directly to purchasers;

     - through agents;

     - through dealers; or

     - through underwriters.

Agents or dealers may be deemed to be "underwriters" within the meaning of the
Securities Act.

     We may solicit offers to purchase securities directly or through agents we
designate and identify in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will name any
agent and set forth any commissions payable by us to the agent in the applicable
prospectus supplement.

     If we use underwriters or dealers in a sale, the securities will be
acquired by the underwriters for their own account. The underwriters may resell
the securities in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions,
at a fixed public offering price, which may be changed, or at varying prices
determined at the time of sale. Underwriters may offer the securities to the
public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more
managing underwriters or directly by one or more underwriters. Unless otherwise
indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters will be
required to purchase securities only if customary closing conditions are
satisfied, or waived by the underwriters, and the underwriters will be obligated
to purchase all of such securities if any are purchased. The underwriters may
change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or
concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.

     Agents, dealers and underwriters may be entitled under agreements between
them and us to indemnification by us against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution to payments which may
be required to be made in respect thereof. Agents, dealers or underwriters that
purchase securities offered hereby and by the applicable prospectus
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<PAGE>   55

supplement may engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the
ordinary course of business.

     We may authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers by
institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery
contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in the
applicable prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom delayed delivery
contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks,
insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and
charitable institutions and other institutions but will in all cases require our
approval. Conditions to the consummation of delayed delivery contracts will be
set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will pay the commission
indicated in a prospectus supplement to underwriters and agents soliciting
purchases of securities pursuant to delayed delivery contracts accepted by us.
The underwriters and persons soliciting delayed delivery contracts will have no
responsibility for the validity or performance of any of those contracts.

     The place and time of delivery for the securities will be set forth in the
applicable prospectus supplement.

                                 LEGAL OPINIONS

     William B. Lawrence, who is our Executive Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary, will issue an opinion about the legality of the offered
securities for us. Cravath, Swaine & Moore of New York City, or such other
counsel as may be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement, will issue
such an opinion on behalf of any agent, underwriter or dealer.

                                    EXPERTS

     Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, have audited TRW's consolidated
financial statements included in Amendment No. 1 to TRW's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998, as set forth in their report, which
is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. TRW's consolidated financial
statements are incorporated into this prospectus by reference in reliance on
Ernst & Young LLP's report, given upon their authority as experts in accounting
and auditing.

     The consolidated financial statements of LucasVarity as of January 31, 1999
and 1998, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended January 31,
1999, have been incorporated by reference into this prospectus in reliance upon
the report of KPMG Audit Plc, independent auditors, incorporated into this
prospectus by reference, upon the authority of said firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.

     The consolidated financial statements of LucasVarity for the six month
period ended January 31, 1997 have been incorporated by reference into this
prospectus in reliance upon the joint report of KPMG Audit Plc and Ernst &
Young, independent auditors, incorporated into this prospectus by reference,
upon the authority of such firms as experts in accounting and auditing.

     Ernst & Young, independent auditors, have audited LucasVarity's
consolidated financial statements for the year ended July 31, 1996 appearing in
TRW's Current Report on Form 8-K/A dated May 17, 1999, as set forth in their
report which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Those consolidated
financial statements are incorporated into this prospectus by reference in
reliance on Ernst & Young's report, upon their authority as experts in
accounting and auditing.

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<PAGE>   56

                             INDEPENDENT APPRAISAL

     Certain LucasVarity assets were appraised by American Appraisal Associates,
Inc. These assets included inventories, fixed assets, identifiable intangibles
and in-process research and development projects and have been included in TRW's
unaudited consolidated balance sheets incorporated herein by reference based on
their preliminary appraised values.

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