WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Dec. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been selected by prime contractor Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to provide its space inertial reference system for the U.S. Air Force Space-Based Infrared System's (SBIRS) fifth Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite.

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Northrop Grumman will provide its Scalable Space Inertial Reference Unit (Scalable SIRU^™) for sensor pointing/stabilization and attitude control on the SBIRS GEO-5 mission. Northrop Grumman has also provided its Scalable SIRU^™ for previous SBIRS GEO satellites.

"This award extends our support of the SBIRS program and reaffirms our status as the provider of choice for complex technical missions," said Bob Mehltretter, vice president, Navigation and Positioning Systems, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. "We are committed to providing products that meet the highest performance and reliability standards for current and next-generation SBIRS satellites."

The SBIRS program delivers early warning of ballistic missile launches, missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness. The SBIRS architecture features a mix of satellites in GEO, hosted payloads in highly elliptical orbit, and ground hardware and software.

Northrop Grumman's Scalable SIRU^™ is the industry standard for high-precision, long-life attitude control solutions supporting commercial, government and civil space missions. The Scalable SIRU^™ has proven its performance during numerous space missions, including NASA's MESSENGER mission to orbit Mercury and the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. At the heart of the Scalable SIRU^™ is Northrop Grumman's patented hemispherical resonator gyro, which has been used in space without a mission failure for more than 28 million operating hours. 

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

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SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation