Sperry Marine to supply NLSS for Royal Navy aircraft carriers

Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit has been awarded a contract by Aircraft Carrier Alliance to supply the navigation lights shapes and sounds (NLSS) signalling system for the UK Royal Navy's Queen Elizabeth Class carriers.

Under the full production contract, the company will build and deliver the complete NLSS system for the next-generation aircraft carriers.

The NLSS system features LED technology and network-based commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology with preprogrammed commands from touchscreen workstations with full status and diagnostic indication.

The company is also delivering the integrated navigation bridge system, inertial navigation system, navigation data distribution system, and the warship electronic chart display and information system (WECDIS).

The initial design phase of the contract has been completed, with deliveries to begin in 2012.

Aircraft Carrier Alliance is an industrial alliance between the UK Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems Surface Ships, BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies, Babcock Marine and Thales Naval.