$21.5 Sub Sensor Contract Awarded

Northrop Grumman Corporation won a $21.5 million subcontract by Lockheed Martin to manufacture key elements of the Lightweight Wide Aperture Array (LWWAA) fiber-optic acoustic sensor systems for the fifth and sixth Virginia-class submarines, SSN 778 and 779.

The LWWAA system is a set of large array panels that are mounted on either side of the submarine, and which provide major sonar sensor input to the submarine's combat system. Instead of traditional ceramic hydrophone sensors, the LWWAA uses fiber-optic and laser technologies to convert a target submarine's acoustic energy in the water into information that can be used to identify and track it.

"The hydrophone/acoustic modules and onboard electronics we produce for LWWAA demonstrate how our fiber-optic acoustic systems expertise can be applied to meet customer needs for high-performance reliable underwater systems," said Alexis Livanos, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division. "We also supplied LWWAA shipsets one through four."