WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., March 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy has selected Northrop Grumman to develop an atom-based magnetic sensor for use in anti-submarine operations.
The magnetometer will be part of an anomaly detection system used aboard submarines, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
"Our new magnetic sensor will raise the bar for size, weight and power standards of atom-based magnetometers," said Charles Volk, vice president and chief technology officer of Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division.
"Additionally, the sensor's enhanced accuracy will have major implications for national security and assist in the detection and classification of submarines."
The contract was issued by the Office of Naval Research. It is for three years and carries a value of $1.75 million.
The magnetometer will be more accurate and smaller in size than those now in use and will consume less power, making it more affordable, Northrop said.
Magnetometers sense disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field due to metallic objects in the vicinity. The technology can help detect submarines.
