Sperry Marine to Supply Nav, Steering Systems

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Sperry Marine business unit has won a multiyear production contract to supply navigation and steering systems for the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDG). The contract, awarded by Bath Iron Works' Lead Yard Services, is worth up to $40 million if all options are exercised. Sperry Marine will provide steering machinery, steering controls and integrated bridge systems (IBS) for up to 10 new ships. The IBS installations will comply with the chief of naval operations requirement for naval electronic chart display and information systems. They will also ensure that the new DDGs share a common IBS architecture with other ships in the fleet. Sperry Marine is supplying similar integrated bridge systems for Navy aircraft carriers, cruisers, amphibious ships and submarines. The production contract starts with DDG 103, scheduled to be launched in 2007. The ships are being built at General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works shipyard and Northrop Grumman's Ingalls shipyard. Sperry Marine currently supplies AN/WSN-7 ring-laser gyro inertial navigation systems and BridgeMaster E navigation radars for the Arleigh Burke-class DDGs under separate contracts.