CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Litton Marine Systems has been awarded an In-Service Support (ISS) contract from the Canadian Department of National Defence for the Halifax-class frigates.

Under the three-year contract, worth $1.8 million, Litton will provide spares, service and technical support on demand for the MK 49 ship's inertial navigation systems (SINS) on the 12 Halifax-class ships.

Litton will maintain a depot inventory of readily available spares for all critical components in the MK 49 systems. "This will dramatically reduce the Canadian Navy's inventory requirements and will result in lower life-cycle costs for the MK 49 systems," said Robert Hibbard, director of defense marketing for Litton Marine Systems.

The MK 49 was introduced in 1989 as the first inertial navigator developed for surface ships and submarines to use the new Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) technology. Litton Marine Systems is the world leader in this field and supplies the MK49 and similar products to NATO, the US Navy and two dozen other international navies.

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.