The British government has selected Northrop Grumman [NOC] and partner BAE Systems to provide the system for controlling and monitoring the machinery and onboard systems for the fifth vessel in the Astute class of attack submarines, Northrop Grumman said yesterday.
Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine unit will supply the Platform Management System (PMS) and BAE Systems Maritime-Submarine will be installing it under the contract for the HMS Anson (S123)submarine. The contract also includes software, safety case, equipment and obsolescence management.
Northrop Grumman provided the PMS for the fourth ship in the Astute class, the HMS Audacious (S122).
“This latest contract reflects confidence in the capability of our platform management system for this important Royal Navy program,” Alan Dix, managing director of Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine, said.
PMS includes control and monitoring software, human interface equipment and programmable logic controller-based hardware throughout the sub. Northrop Grumman said its solution emphasized commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software with an open architecture interface to ease upgrades and allow third party equipment.
Northrop Grumman said it is also currently providing the PMS for the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers and has provided ships’ inertial navigation systems for a variety of the Royal Navy’s other surface ships and submarines. Sperry Marine is headquartered in New Malden, U.K.