Northrop to Supply Navigation Systems to US Navy

Northrop Grumman is to supply inertial navigation systems (INS) for the US Navy’s joint precision approach and landing systems (JPALS) shipboard reference programme.

As a subcontractor to Raytheon, Northrop will supply 18 LN-270 INS units for the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the JPALS increment 1A shipboard reference system.

The Raytheon-developed JPALS is an all-weather, all-mission, all-user landing system that works with GPS to provide accurate, reliable, landing guidance for fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. It also supports fixed-base, tactical and shipboard applications.

Each JPALS-equipped ship will use three Northrop fibre-optic gyro-based LN-270 INS units to measure the ship’s motion.

In addition, the LN-270 INS being manufactured is a highly reliable navigation system, which requires significantly lower maintenance costs during its lifetime.

Delivery of the first LN-270 unit is scheduled for early 2011.