Rockwell, Navy Announce Ship Automation Deal

Rockwell in Thousand Oaks and the Office of Naval Research have announced an agreement to develop an integrated automation and control system for Navy ships.

The goal of the program, to be pursued with the Rockwell Science Center and Rockwell Automation, is to develop an automation system that seamlessly integrates the controls of a ship’s major systems under varying conditions.

An integrated system gives ships added flexibility in system upgrades and provides significant “ease of use” advantages compared with separate control networks that exist on ships today.

The $4-million project, expected to span two years, will operate under the Joint Services Dual-Use Science and Technology Program. Rockwell will fund half of the effort and provide the hardware for demonstration of automation systems.

Navy officials said the military will benefit from the program by gaining significant increases in the survivability of ships during battle; major cost savings through reduced manning, equipment acquisition and maintenance, and immediate global access to spare parts and support personnel.

Rockwell is a $7-billion electronic controls and communications company.