Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has received type approval from the German certification authority Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt & Hydrographie (BSH) for the Sperry Marine NAVISTAR satellite compass system.

The BSH type approval certifies that the NAVISTAR system meets the International Maritime Organization carriage requirements and International Standards Organization performance requirements for a Transmitting Heading Device (THD).

Sea trials conducted on a variety of vessels in recent months have demonstrated the NAVISTAR system’s ability to maintain an accurate heading display under adverse weather conditions and heavy seas.

The Sperry Marine NAVISTAR system is designed to serve as a viable alternative to spinning-mass and fiber-optic gyrocompasses for workboats, commercial fishing vessels, large private yachts, naval patrol boats and small merchant ships, which are not required to be equipped with a gyrocompass.

Using advanced inertial algorithms, the Sperry Marine hybrid system processes information from dual high-precision GPS receivers, together with data from three integrated turn-rate sensors, three accelerometers and a three-axis magnetic field sensor.

The system provides a stable heading reference input for radars, autopilots, chart plotters, scanning sonars, automatic identification systems, voyage data recorders, steerable antenna arrays and other devices. The computer continually compares the GPS heading against the magnetic heading sensor. If the GPS data is lost or degraded, the system switches to the magnetic heading from the integral magnetic field sensor to ensure uninterrupted navigation.

Sperry Marine, with worldwide headquarters in Charlottesville, Va., and major engineering and support offices in New Malden, U.K., and Hamburg, Germany, is part of Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems sector. Sperry Marine 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.

Headquartered in Baltimore, Md., Northrop Grumman’s Electronic Systems sector is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of defense and commercial electronic systems including airborne radar, navigation systems, electronic countermeasures, precision weapons, airspace management systems, communications systems, space sensors, marine and naval systems, government systems and logistics services.

For commercial sales inquiries, contact Sperry Marine by phone +1 434 974 2656 or e-mail sales_commercial@sperry-marine.com. For military sales inquiries call +1 434 974 2134 or e-mail sales_military@sperry-marine.com. Visit our web site at www.sperry-marine.com.