The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) to supply integrated bridge systems (IBS) for three U.S. Navy cruisers.

The indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract, valued at $2.72 million, was awarded to Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit. Under the contract, the new-generation IBS, running on Sperry Marine’s Voyage Management System (VMS) software, will be back-fitted onto three guided-missile cruisers (CG).

“This contract is part of an ongoing program to upgrade the current fleet of 22 CGs with IBS/VMS to meet the U.S. Navy’s requirements for replacing paper charts with naval electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS-N),” said J. Nolasco DaCunha, vice president of Sperry Marine. “These new-technology systems will provide the ships’ navigators with an integrated picture of their ship’s position and movement on an electronic chart screen, resulting in improved situational awareness and efficiency.”

“Sperry Marine’s IBS with VMS is the standard electronic navigation suite for the majority of U.S. Navy ships and is the only system certified by the Chief of Naval Operations to meet ECDIS-N requirements,” added DaCunha. “Our VMS-based navigation systems are currently installed on or under contract for more than 150 U.S. Navy ships and submarines.”

Sperry Marine has supplied similar VMS-based integrated navigation systems for hundreds of commercial vessels worldwide, including tankers, container ships, bulk carriers and passenger cruise ships. The commercial VMS packages have been type-approved by national maritime authorities and classification societies to meet International Maritime Organization performance standards for safe navigation.