Royal Navy adopts iXBlue's inertial technology
Above:
iXBlue MARINS M7 Inertial Navigation System.
Courtesy PRNewsFoto/iXBlue
Through Lockheed Martin UK, iXBlue is providing 70 MARINS M7 to equip 35 Royal Navy major surface ships and submarines, as part of the Navigation Compass Programme.
The decisions to equip both the Queen Elizabeth-Class Aircraft Carriers and the fourth Astute-Class nuclear-power submarine with iXBlue's MARINS Inertial Navigation System (INS) were the first steps made by the UK Ministry of Defence toward the adoption of iXBlue Fiber Optic Gyroscope technology.
Defence Minister Philip Dunne said: “The new compass system will modernise navigation systems on board our ships and submarines, which are critical for safely plotting courses at sea".
“This contract will therefore provide state-of-the-art technology for the Royal Navy while delivering the best value for money for the UK taxpayer, and is yet another example of how we are investing our £178 billion equipment fund and growing Defence budget in providing the best possible kit for our Armed Forces.”
The 70 MARINS M7 INS will replace the obsolete gyro systems on board the Royal Navy ships which include Type 23 Frigates, Hunt and Sandown Class mine countermeasure vessels and submarines. They will be integrated by Lockheed Martin UK within the compass system installed on board.
Robert Kramer, Vice-President of Lockheed Martin UK - Integrated Systems, declared: "We conducted a detailed assessment of all available possible partners along with their proposed technologies. By precisely understanding the Royal Navy expectations and assessing their views on the industry leading suppliers, it clearly appeared that iXBlue's solutions best fitted the needs in terms of performance, capability and cost.
“This contract to replace the compasses on more than thirty vessels across the surface and submarine fleet enhances Lockheed Martin’s reputation as a key supplier of highly accurate and reliable systems that helps guide the Royal Navy on a variety of tasks across the globe.”
The MARINS family of military-grade FOG INS (M3, M5 and M7 models) are the latest additions to iXBlue range of naval products. MARINS M7 model offers a drift of less than one Nm in 72 hours of surface GNSS-denied or submarine dived navigation.
"We are very grateful to the Royal Navy for such a decision that demonstrates through a fair and open competition iXBlue's INS excellence in terms of performance, reliability, lifecycle costs and versatility. This success relies on iXBlue core values: innovation, excellence and a strong commitment to the user" said Olivier Cervantes, iXBlue Vice President for Sales and Marketing.
