Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Sperry Marine business unit has been awarded contracts to upgrade the navigation systems on three U.S. Navy Cyclone-class patrol craft.
The bridge upgrade program for the patrol craft is being performed under two cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts from the Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station, Philadelphia, and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic.
Northrop Grumman will equip each of the vessels with an integrated bridge system running under the fleet-standard Voyage Management System (VMS) software. The three-node system is an upgrade to the currently installed Sperry Marine system on the patrol craft. The installations will include the naval electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS-N), an adaptive autopilot and gyrocompass. Northrop Grumman will also provide installation support services.
Sperry Marine’s VMS is the standard electronic navigation software for U.S. Navy surface ships and submarines. It is the only system that has been certified to meet the Chief of Naval Operations requirements for converting the fleet from hand plotting on paper nautical charts to automated navigation and piloting on computerized chart displays.
The Cyclone-class patrol craft were originally built in the 1990s to support Navy SEALS and other special operation forces. They are now being modernized to support new operational requirements for littoral warfare, coastal gunfire support and mobile training programs.