Northrop Grumman to provide in-service support for Royal Canadian Navy inertial navigation systems

Nov. 26, 2012
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., 26 Nov. 2012. Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) will provide in-service support for MK-49 inertial navigation systems and navigation data distribution systems fielded aboard Royal Canadian Navy surface ships and submarines.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., 26 Nov. 2012. Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) will provide in-service support for MK-49 inertial navigation systems and navigation data distribution systems fielded aboard Royal Canadian Navy surface ships and submarines.

The work falls under a $12.1 million contract from Canada's Department of National Defence (DND), awarded by Public Works Government Services Canada, that includes material spares and software maintenance for the next five years. The in-service support work is for systems installed on 12 Halifax-class frigates, three Iroquois-class destroyers, four Victoria-class submarines, and two Protecteur-class auxiliary oiler replenishment ships, as well as three land-based systems.

The MK-49 inertial navigation system, which is based on Northrop Grumman's ring-laser gyro technology, provides position, attitude, velocity, and heading inputs to the ships' navigation and fire-control systems, helping to ensure stabilized weapons initialization under virtually all sea conditions. The navigation data distribution system integrates data inputs and outputs provided by the MK-49 INS and other navigation sensors.

"This contract continues our 11-year record of reliable in-service support for the Royal Canadian Navy," says Bill Hannon, vice president of Maritime Systems at Northrop Grumman. "By continually expanding the scope with each contract, we have helped reduce the DND's need to maintain spares and support services."

This award marks the fourth in-service support contract that Northrop Grumman has received from the DND since 2001. Northrop Grumman engineers previously designed and delivered the MK-39 inertial navigation system, the SRD 331 Speed Log, and related software to Canada.

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