Northrop Grumman Awarded Navigation Systems Contract

Pilots and crew of the U.S. Navy's F/A-18E/F and E-2C aircraft will continue to get accurate position and targeting information for carrier-based operations through a contract for 55 LN-92 aircraft inertial navigation systems (INS) from Northrop Grumman Corporation's Navigation Systems Division. The self-contained LN-92 INS provides aircraft position, velocity, acceleration, heading and attitude information. "Our Navigation Systems Division has been the premier supplier of the Navy carrier aircraft INS systems through four generations of technology and for over four decades," said Louis Patalano, Northrop Grumman LN-92 program manager. "The LN-92 performed superbly in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our customers continue to be pleased with its performance, which exceeds current contract requirements and demonstrates the high reliability of the LN-92." Under terms of the $9 million contract, the Navigation Systems Division will supply its LN-92 inertial navigation unit and mount for the Navy's F/A-18E/F and E-2C aircraft. Inertial navigation system deliveries will take place over a 12-month period between August 2004 and July 2005. The contract contains an option for 50 additional systems. More than 2,122 LN-92s have been ordered and 1,950 have been shipped under three previous contracts.