Northrop Grumman has secured a contract with the U.K.’s submarine delivery agency to support the platform management systems of the country’s Astute-class submarines, whose prime contractor is BAE Systems.
The company will perform in-service support for the systems, which it supplied to BAE, to maximize the country’s availability of the seven-vessel Astute class, Northrop said Thursday.
Nick Chaffey, Northrop’s chief executive for the U.K., Europe and the Middle East, said his team will harness design and manufacturing expertise to deliver the PMS technology to the British navy. He also expects Northrop’s digital-first approach to bolster the U.K. underwater force while reducing life cycle costs.
Northrop’s U.K. team has been supporting the Astute-class submarine program on an interim basis since April 2020. The U.K.’s Type 45 destroyers, Hunt-class minesweepers and nuclear deterrent employ Northrop’s PMS technology.