Northrop Grumman has been competitively selected by General Dynamics Robotic Systems to supply the navigation system solution for the Phase II Global Positioning System (GPS) / Inertial Navigation System (INS), a major component of the Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) for the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program.

Under this $10.7 million contract, Northrop Grumman's navigation solution will provide the navigation system inputs for the ANS.

ANS provides the navigational, perception, path-planning, vehicle-following algorithms and the on-board sensor package needed for autonomous mobility functionality and leader/follower operation by FCS vehicles. The navigation system will also provide pointing and stabilization information for a variety of sensor platforms integrated into the FCS vehicles.

Northrop Grumman's land navigation solution for ANS includes the fiber-optic gyro LN-270 PLANS(tm) land navigation system, Ethernet connectivity, two global position system (GPS) antennas, an embedded selective availability/anti-spoofing module GPS and an anti-jam unit.

"Any application that requires highly accurate navigation, pointing or dependable stabilization can benefit from the LN-270, including long range surveillance systems and all types of electro-optical/infrared sensors," said Gorik Hossepian, vice president of navigation and positioning systems for Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division.

"We are proud to support the Army's Future Combat Systems vehicles with this modern autonomous navigation system."