Northrop Grumman to Supply Inertial Navigation Systems for New Spanish Navy Maritime Action Ships

LONDON, Aug. 18, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has won a contract to supply high-accuracy inertial navigation systems (INS) for four new Buques de Accion Maritima (Maritime Action Ships) being built for the Spanish navy at the Navantia shipyard in Ferrol, northwest Spain.

The contract, valued at more than $1.5 million, was awarded by Navantia to Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit. Installation, commissioning and trials will be overseen by Aeromarine, Sperry Marine's sales and service representative in Spain.

Each of the ships will be fitted with one MK 39 Mod 3A ring laser gyro (RLG) INS and one MK 27 fibre-optic gyrocompass. The MK 39 Mod 3A will provide both high-accuracy geographic positioning information and precise attitude and heading data for the ship's navigation and weapon systems.

Sperry Marine has also supplied RLG INS for numerous Spanish Navy surface ships and submarines. The MK 39 is the standard RLG equipment for 32 international navies.

The Maritime Action Ships will be 94 metres long, displace approximately 2,500 tons, have a helicopter landing pad and be capable of attaining a maximum speed of 20 knots. The multi-mission ships will replace Spain's current light patrol vessels.

Sperry Marine, headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., and with major engineering and support offices in New Malden, United Kingdom and Hamburg, Germany, provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry with customer service and support through offices in 16 countries, sales representatives in 47 countries and authorized service depots in more than 250 locations worldwide.

Source: Northrop Grumman to Supply Inertial Navigation Systems for New Spanish Navy Maritime Action Ships

Resources

INS - Inertial Navigation System
RLG - Ring Laser Gyro

Navies : Meteoro

Spain