The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) has approved a Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) radar system as an authorized Electronic Chart Display and Information System, Navy (ECDIS-N) for the U.S. Navy’s 688-class nuclear attack submarine fleet.

The AN/BPS-15H radar systems on the Los Angeles-class submarines were supplied by Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit.

The CNO approval applies to AN/BPS-15H systems running under Sperry Marine’s Voyage Management System (VMS) software, integrated with the Submarine Warfare Federated Tactical Systems (SWFTS) on the Los Angeles-class submarines. The approval was granted following evaluations and sea trials on USS Boise (SSN 764).

“This is a major milestone in the U.S. Navy’s drive to convert from navigating on paper nautical charts to ECDIS-N technology, opening the way for rapid adoption of paperless navigation throughout the submarine fleet,” said J. Nolasco DaCunha, vice president of Sperry Marine. “Under the CNO directive, fleet commanders can now authorize the AN/BPS-15H with VMS as the primary navigation plot on individual submarines in place of paper charts.”

With this new approval, seven surface ships and five submarines are now authorized to navigate with Sperry Marine’s ECDIS-N system as the primary means of navigation.

“Sperry Marine’s VMS is the only navigation system that is approved to meet the CNO requirements for ECDIS-N,” said DaCunha. “Our VMS-based ECDIS-N systems are currently installed on or under contract for over 150 U.S. Navy surface ships and submarines.”

Sperry Marine has supplied similar systems for hundreds of commercial ships, such as tankers, container carriers and passenger cruise ships, around the world. The commercial VMS has been type approved by national maritime authorities and classification societies to meet international ECDIS specifications.

Sperry Marine, headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., and with major engineering and support offices in New Malden, United Kingdom and Hamburg, Germany, provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry with customer service and support through offices in 16 countries, sales representatives in 47 countries and authorized service depots in more than 250 locations worldwide.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $32 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

For commercial sales inquiries, contact Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine by phone, +1 (434) 974-2656 or by e-mail, sales_commercial@sperry.ngc.com. For military sales inquiries, call +1 (434) 974-2134 or e-mail sales_military@sperry.ngc.com. Visit our Web site at www.sperrymarine.northropgrumman.com.