2010 Sep 09

Northrop Grumman Introduces New-Generation Shipboard Alarm, Monitoring and Control Solutions

 The new series of shipboard machinery automation solutions, marketed by Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit under the VisionMaster label, is being introduced to provide cost-effective scalable solutions for small- to medium-size commercial and naval vessels. The hardware is type approved to meet the requirements of major classification societies for unmanned machinery space operation.

Offered in two basic configurations – VisionMaster Alarm Management System (AMS) and VisionMaster Machinery Control System (MCS) – the new Sperry Marine solutions use commercial-off-the-shelf industry-standard components for all key building blocks within the system. This helps to control initial capital costs and also ensures cost-effective through-life support using industry-standard parts, which are readily available through industrial suppliers worldwide.

The Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine systems are based on a dedicated redundant-switched Ethernet local area network for complete field-to-server data links. The Ethernet ring is structured around two servers to provide redundancy in hot back-up configuration for control and monitoring of all subsystems. The systems’ open architecture permits the connection of monitoring stations anywhere in the vessel. The thin-client technology provides for expansion with new fixed and mobile workstations on the network.

“The VisionMaster AMS and MCS solutions are designed to provide an easy ‘drop-in’ replacement for legacy machinery automation systems, as well as newbuilds, with serial interfaces to the sensors on diesel engines from most major plant manufacturers,” said J. Nolasco DaCunha, vice president of Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine. “They can be installed as stand-alone alarm, monitoring and control solutions, or integrated with the Sperry Marine VisionMaster FT™ integrated bridge systems.”

The VisionMaster AMS and MCS solutions will be shown by Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine on stand B6/660 at the SMM maritime industry trade show in Hamburg, Germany, Sept. 7-11, 2010.

Sperry Marine is a business unit of Northrop Grumman’s Naval and Marine Systems Division. Headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., and with major engineering and support offices in New Malden, United Kingdom and Hamburg, Germany, Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine provides smart navigation and ship control solutions for the international marine industry with customer service and support through offices in 16 countries, sales representatives in 47 countries and authorized service depots in more than 250 locations worldwide.

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.

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