ANNAPOLIS, Md., Oct. 22, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Oceanic and Naval Systems business unit and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) at Newport, R.I., recently completed the successful demonstration of Northrop Grumman's AN/AQS-24 mine detection system on an 11-meter unmanned surface vehicle.
The objective of the test, which both organizations supported through internal funds, was to prove the feasibility of remotely deploying, operating and recovering the Navy's newest mine detection system from a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat.
"This exercise clearly showed that in addition to serving traditional naval mine warfare missions, the AN/AQS-24 could also support critical missions in homeland security, such as harbor mapping and asset protection to include helping safely navigate a ship through channels," said Fran Holian, vice president of the Northrop Grumman business unit.
The demonstration, which took place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 2003, was conducted in cooperation with the Commander, Mine Warfare Command in Corpus Christi, Texas.
During the test, the mine warfare system mapped shipping lanes 180 yards wide, 45 feet deep and eight miles long from Naval Station Ingleside to the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico, transmitting data in real time to the bridge of the USS Scout, a mine countermeasures (MCM-8) ship.
The system also swept the channel in front of the Scout as it transited into and out of the shipping channel, demonstrating the ability to provide increased assurance of unobstructed passage for a transiting Naval vessel.
Northrop Grumman's Oceanic and Naval Systems is a business unit of Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector, headquartered in Baltimore. Electronic Systems is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of defense and commercial electronics and systems including airborne radar, navigation systems, electronic countermeasures, precision weapons, airspace management systems, communications systems, space systems, marine and naval systems, government systems and logistics services.
Members of the news media may receive our releases via e-mail by registering at: http://www.northropgrumman.com/cgi-bin/regist_form.cgi
LEARN MORE ABOUT US: Northrop Grumman news releases, product information, photos and video clips are available on the Internet at: http://www.northropgrumman.com. Information specific to the Electronic Systems sector is available at: http://www.es.northropgrumman.com/index.html