BAE Submarine Solutions has selected iXSea MARINS inertial navigation systems for the UK Royal Navy Astute Class, nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Audacious.

Under the contract, the company will provide two MARINS units, and a third for preliminary test work at the company’s Astute shore integration facility.

The contract has options on further units for the fifth, sixth and seventh Astute Class submarines, and engineering and project management support for installation on board, according to Hydro-International.

The units for HMS Audacious are virtually commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS), with some modifications to accommodate specific operational requirements.

The compact and lightweight system has been designed to meet the increasing demand for more accurate and reliable inertial navigation systems with fibre-optic gyroscope technology.