Northrop Grumman Wins Navy Navigation Processor Award

A three-year low-rate initial production contract covers the AN/WSN-12 Navigation Processor Module, the Navy's successor to the AN/WSN-7.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Semiconductors

Northrop Grumman Wins Navy Navigation Processor Award

Northrop Grumman has received a three-year low-rate initial production award for the AN/WSN-12 Navigation Processor Module. The module is the Navy's successor to the AN/WSN-7, which is currently deployed across the fleet.

Why it matters

The award moves the AN/WSN-12 toward fleet production as the Navy looks to replace the navigation hardware now installed on its ships. Continued production keeps the program on a defined schedule for future deployment.

The Navigation Processor Module processes and distributes navigation information to shipboard systems and integrates with the Inertial Sensor Module within the AN/WSN-12 navigation cabinet. The source does not disclose processing specifications, unit counts, or contract value.

The players

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is a major U.S. defense contractor that designs and produces naval navigation and inertial sensing systems.

U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy operates the AN/WSN-7 fleet navigation system that the AN/WSN-12 is designed to succeed.

The details

The Navigation Processor Module handles navigation data processing and distribution across shipboard systems. It works alongside the Inertial Sensor Module, which Northrop Grumman designs and produces, within the AN/WSN-12 navigation cabinet.

Northrop Grumman's award covers a three-year low-rate initial production period.

Tech Race

The AN/WSN-12 is the Navy's designated successor to the AN/WSN-7, which remains in service across the fleet. Its move into low-rate initial production marks the step from design toward fielding a replacement for that deployed system.

For most readers the award has no direct effect, since it governs naval navigation hardware rather than consumer products. Its practical reach is limited to the fleet systems and contractors involved in building the AN/WSN-12.

The takeaway

Military navigation upgrades move slowly, with each step from design to low-rate production setting the timeline for fleet replacement. Tracking these awards shows how long older systems like the AN/WSN-7 remain in service before successors arrive.