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

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 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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