Northrop Grumman has been selected to supply the Platform Management System (PMS) for the Royal Navy's fifth Astute-class submarine, Anson. Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit will supply the PMS for Astute Boat 5 under a performance partnering arrangement (PPA) with BAE Systems Maritime-Submarine.

BAE Systems will install the PMS equipment, which controls and monitors the submarine's platform machinery and onboard systems, at its shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, U.K. The contract also includes software, safety case, equipment and obsolescence management.

The Astute-class is the Royal Navy's latest series of nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarines. Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit previously supplied the PMS for Astute Boat 4, Audacious.

"Our long experience in developing and configuring advanced naval electronics makes us ideally suited to meet the platform management system needs of these submarines," said Alan Dix, managing director of Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine. "This latest contract reflects confidence in the capability of our platform management system for this important Royal Navy programme."

The PMS will include control and monitoring software, human interface equipment and programmable logic controller-based hardware located throughout the submarine.

All hardware has been system-engineered to meet naval hardware standards for shock, vibration, temperature and electromagnetic compatibility requirements. Based on Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine's innovative approach to configuring commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software to meet exacting military and commercial applications, the PMS for Astute Boat 5 will reduce life cycle costs for the U.K. Ministry of Defence and minimize programme risk.

The system will provide an advanced network design that includes the stringent levels of safety and redundancy associated with nuclear submarine control systems.

The system's open architecture allows interfacing with third-party equipment via standard field-bus technology to provide an extremely versatile and expandable PMS solution.

Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine in the U.K. has had a long and successful relationship with the Royal Navy, supplying and supporting machinery control systems, navigation radars, gyrocompasses and other navigation equipment. The company is also currently providing the PMS for the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyers and has provided ships' inertial navigation systems for a variety of the Royal Navy's other surface ships and submarines.