NEWPORT NEWS (AP) - Northrop Grumman Corp. said Thursday it received a $12.7 million contract for the second phase of a joint Pentagon project to develop and test a new system to reduce future submarine construction costs.
The project run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Navy is aimed at developing design technology that could reduce construction costs on future submarines in how they carry and launch torpedoes. The concept is based on eliminating the submarine's torpedo room from inside the ship's pressure hull and moving the launchers outside the pressure hull.
This change would eliminate complex machinery and free up valuable space inside the hull.
In June 2005, Northrop Grumman Newport News was awarded a $10.4 million, 18-month contract to complete the first phase of the project.
The Northrop-led team included Penn State Applied Research Laboratory, Special Devices Inc., Naval Undersea Warfare Center and BBN Technologies.
Shares of Northrop gained $1.18 to $73.29 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
© 2007 AFX News