Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) Sperry Marine business unit has been awarded a contract to supply integrated bridge systems (IBS) for the next eight U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke (DDG 51)-class destroyers.

The highly automated navigation systems, based on Sperry Marine's Voyage Management System software, will improve situational awareness for bridge watchstanders, permitting the officer on deck and navigation team to view, at a glance, the real-time location and movement of the ship superimposed on a high-resolution electronic chart display. The contact is valued at $7.9 million.

The IBS contracts for DDG 94 through DDG 101 were awarded to Sperry Marine by Bath Iron Works (BIW), lead shipyard for the DDG 51-class Aegis destroyers. The ships are being built at BIW and Northrop Grumman's Ingalls Operations. The first ship to receive the IBS installation will be the Nitze (DDG 94), scheduled to be commissioned in 2005.

The IBS networks the ship's systems and sensors into a single interface, providing a high level of reliability and redundancy of critical equipment, thereby minimizing the ship's operating costs while its modular structure easily expands to meet future requirements. The system includes primary navigation sensors, radars, electronic chart display and information systems, gyrocompasses, autopilots, ship control systems and other navigation systems, all running under Sperry Marine's proprietary Voyage Management System software.

Sperry Marine also has contracts to supply the steering machinery and control systems, AN/WSN-7 ring laser gyros and navigation radars for the DDG 51-class destroyers.

Sperry Marine, with worldwide headquarters in Charlottesville, Va., is the primary supplier of IBS technology for the U.S. Navy, with systems installed or under contract for 134 surface ships and submarines.

Part of Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector, the Sperry Marine business unit provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry under the Sperry Marine, Decca and C. Plath brand names, 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.

Headquartered in Baltimore, Md., Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of defense electronics and systems including airborne radar systems, navigation systems, electronic warfare systems, precision weapons, air traffic control systems, air defense systems, communications systems, space systems, marine systems, oceanic and naval systems, logistics systems, and automation and information systems.