WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2009 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) detailed several existing, proven open-architecture solutions that can be leveraged by U.S. Navy to achieve significant cost, performance and schedule savings during the second annual Open Architecture Summit.

Mike Barrett, the company's vice president of Maritime Mission Systems, outlined the benefits of open architecture technology available through three Northrop Grumman initiatives: Integrated Combat Management System (ICMS), Flexible Infrastructure, and Common Processing System (CPS).

ICMS is a fully implemented open architecture combat system for both legacy modification and new ship platforms. It is currently installed on the Littoral Combat Ship Independence (LCS-2). Its architectural framework adheres to all open architecture principles. ICMS has successfully completed both an organic littoral warfare demonstration (successfully integrating the Northrop Grumman-built AN/SPQ-9B radar) and an organic and off-board littoral demonstration (successfully integrating offboard over-the-horizon capabilities for the surface warfare mission).

Flexible Infrastructure is a concept and design for aircraft carriers designed by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. This open architecture design provides spaces that can be rapidly reconfigured without additional ship welding or high-temperature operations and has the potential to be used on other ship classes.

CPS is a fully compliant Open Architecture Computing Environment (OACE) mission-critical and mission-essential computing system. The Navy awarded a contract for CPS earlier this year to Global Technical Systems, a teammate of Northrop Grumman. CPS will reduce maintenance costs, personnel workload and personnel training while improving fault detection and fault isolation. The CPS computing plant is housed in an Advanced COTS Enclosure (ACE) cabinet that is modular, hatchable, and Grade A shock qualified. The benefits of this scalable, modular, hatchable, adaptable approach will yield significant cost saving and reduced integration timelines. "CPS is a real game changer for all future cabinet/rack strategies in the Navy," said Barrett.

"Northrop Grumman is already offering open architecture solutions today," said Barrett. "We are leveraging our experience in both physical and logical open architecture to bring synergy across both domains. As architectural constraints are removed in one domain, the modularity and openness of the design improves in the other domain. We are developing solutions that provide significant cost and schedule benefits to the Navy."

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. 

  CONTACT:  Tom Delaney 
          Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems
          (410) 993-6454
          thomas.delaney@ngc.com