MARINS and NETANS Will Provide Robust, Accurate and Reliable Functionality

Kership – a naval shipbuilding joint venture of Naval Group and Piriou – has selected iXblue navigation solutions for the three new OPV 87 offshore patrol vessels (OPV) under construction for the Argentine Navy, the companies announced on 18 December.

The solutions in question include the MARINS inertial navigation system (INS) and the NETANS data distribution unit (DDU). This is the first time Kership has selected solutions from iXblue, which is already a partner to Naval Group and Piriou on a number of programmes, including the French Navy’s future defence and intervention frigates (FDI) and multi-mission vessels (B2M).

MARINS and NETANS are already onboard over 650 surface vessels and submarines, meeting the most exacting requirements of modern warships. Based on iXblue fibre-optic gyrosocope technology, MARINS offers very high performance and provides highly accurate position, heading, roll, pitch and speed data in all conditions, including GNSS-denied environments. The NETANS DDU interfaces directly with the vessel’s sensors, acquiring, analysing, correlating and distributing data to all onboard systems and providing robust, consistent and accurate navigation data under the most challenging conditions while also addressing the cybersecurity challenges of modern maritime operations.

“Kership’s choice of iXblue solutions for the navigation systems of the three new patrol vessels currently under construction is a source of pride for our group. These ships will join the DRUMMOND-class corvettes (A69 type), INTREPIDA-class guided-missile patrol boats and MEKO-class ROSALES frigates of the Argentine Navy, which are already equipped with our technology,” observed iXblue Sales Director, Jean-Marc Binois. “This contract is an endorsement of the reliability and performance of our technology, already adopted by more than 40 navies around the world.”