U.S. Coast Guard selects Sagem's BlueNaute navigation system

(BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, France) — After issuing an international request for proposals (RFP), the U.S. Coast Guard has chosen Sagem (Safran)'s new attitude and heading reference system, BlueNaute, to modernize a dozen of its oceangoing ships.

About a dozen WLB Juniper-class ships will be fitted with the BlueNaute system.

Sagem's BlueNaute reference system is based on hemispherical resonator gyros (HRG), a proprietary Sagem technology that gives the BlueNaute very high reliability, coupled with extremely precise measurements. A disruptive navigation technology, the BlueNaute's inertial core offers a competitive advantage in terms of total cost of ownership and performance, versus the previous generation of inertial technologies, especially fiber-optic and mechanical models.

With mean time between failures (MTBF) exceeding 100,000 hours, Sagem's BlueNaute system addresses evolving maritime navigation requirements. Its unexcelled performance qualities make it a perfect match for scientific missions, at-sea searches, offshore operations and coast guard or police missions.

BlueNaute's ergonomic design, performance and longevity were all decisive factors in the system's selection by the U.S. Coast Guard for its WLB ships.

A world leader in navigation systems, Sagem has more than 60 years of experience in making navigation systems for civil and military missions, whether in the air, on land, at sea or in space.

The WLB Juniper class is a 2,000-ton oceangoing ship, specialized in the laying of navigation buoys, the fight against pollution and search missions at sea. The U.S. Coast Guard deploys 16 ships of this type.

By Professional Mariner Staff