NG to make PMS for new British A-sub

LONDON, March 28 (UPI) -- BAE Systems has picked Northrop Grumman to make Platform Management Systems for a British submarine.

Northrop Grumman said in a statement Thursday that BAE Systems had picked its Sperry Marine business unit based in Charlottesville, Va., to produce the PMS for the next Royal Navy Astute-Class nuclear submarine, HMS Audacious. The PMS will direct and oversee platform machinery and onboard systems.

Northrop Grumman said that by using off-the-shelf -- COTS -- hardware and software, the PMS for Astute Boat 4 will significantly cut down costs and reduce program risk.

The company said the Sperry Marine system would offer an advanced network design with high safety and the redundancy required for nuclear submarine control systems. It said the COTS hardware and software would also produce significant cost savings at delivery and cut back cost of ownership.

Northrop Grumman said the system's open architecture would permit interfacing with third-party equipment via standard field-bus technology producing what it described as "an extremely versatile and expandable PMS solution."

"The Astute project is crucial to the (British) defense posture, and we are particularly pleased to increase our involvement with this program," said Nolasco DaCunha, managing director of Sperry Marine.

"This contract will help us to consolidate our presence in the (British) naval market and provide us with an opportunity to enhance our position in the military PMS market for naval ships around the world," DaCunha said.

Northrop Grumman said Sperry Marine in Britain was already making the PMS for the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers and it had manufactured ships' inertial navigation systems for other surface ships and submarines.

"Our experience in configuring advanced technology systems for naval applications and strong program management capabilities are ideally suited to the demanding requirements for the Royal Navy's submarines," said Chris Holgate, PMS program director for Sperry Marine in the Britain.