CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Litton Marine Systems has won orders to supply integrated bridge systems (IBS) for four new cruise ships being built for Royal Caribbean International at Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

With the new order for four ships, Litton has now booked IBS contracts for all six RCI Vantage-class cruise ships to be built at Meyer Werft.

In accordance with RCI's two-bridge concept, each of the new vessels will be equipped with a totally redundant package consisting of two independent integrated bridge systems with all critical components duplicated. The scope of equipment will include interswitched BridgeMaster E S-band and X-band radars, Voyage Management System (VMS) with DNV type-approved ECDIS, docking system, weather station, doppler speed logs, fiber optic gyrocompass, adaptive autopilot, weather routing software, a complete GMDSS communications system and an IMO-compliant Voyage Data Recorder (VDR). The contracts include equipment supply, installation, commissioning, spares, technical support and crew training.

In addition to the six Meyer Werft newbuilds, Litton has supplied IBS for the two new RCI Eagle-class ships, the second of which, Explorer of the Seas, was just delivered from Kvaerner Masa in Finland. Litton is also retrofitting state-of-the-art IBS on all ships in the existing RCI fleet of cruise ships.

The 293m Vantage-class ships will carry 2,500 passengers in 1,051 cabins. The gas-turbine powered ships use twin 19,500 Azipod drives for 360° maneuverability.

Litton Marine Systems Inc. (LMS) is a subsidiary of Litton Industries Inc. LMS was formed from the consolidation of Sperry Marine (Charlottesville, Virginia, USA), Decca Marine (New Malden, UK) and C. Plath (Hamburg, Germany). LMS manufactures and markets products under the Sperry, Decca and C. Plath brand names. With offices in 19 countries and authorized service depots in more than 300 locations worldwide, LMS provides "One Source" for marine navigation, communication and information systems, products and service.

Litton is the nation's largest builder of non-nuclear ships for the U.S. Navy and designs, builds, and overhauls surface ships for government and commercial customers worldwide. The company is a leading information technology (IT) contractor to the U.S. government and provides specialized IT services to commercial customers and government customers in local/foreign jurisdictions. Litton is a leading provider of defense and commercial electronics technology, components, and materials for customers worldwide. Headquartered in Woodland Hills, California, Litton has more than 40,000 employees and $5 billion in annual revenue. For more information, visit Litton's Web site at www.litton.com.