Article Posted on : - Sep 14, 2011

Ring laser gyro (RLG) technology.Photo: Northrop Grumman

LONDON (BNS): Northrop Grumman is introducing a new MK 39 Mod 4A Ring Laser Ship's Inertial Navigation System, based on its proven ring laser gyro (RLG) technology.

The new system is an improved version of the earlier versions as it occupies only half of the deck space and its weight has been cut by 60 percent.

Setup and diagnostics are now done via a network-based application instead of a remote control display unit, requiring one less piece of dedicated hardware.

Fully configurable serial and Ethernet ports use the NMEA 0183 electrical specification standards and offer high-rate binary messages, these ports also use the same inertial measuring unit (IMU), which allows common sparing with earlier models.

"We believe this smaller, lighter, more economical version of the MK 39 will be a natural and effective upgrade for naval fleets," Bill Hannon, vice president of Northrop Grumman's Maritime Systems business unit, said.

The Mod 4A electronics unit can support a wide variety of IMUs with different accuracy levels and environmental constraints. This enables more commonality and upgrade potential for all ships in a given fleet, even if they have different system requirements.