Steering gear system ordered for new destroyers CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., July 25 (UPI) -- Steering gear systems for three new U.S. Navy destroyers are to be produced by Northrop Grumman under contracts worth $14.4 million. The contracts were awarded by shipbuilders General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and Huntington Ingalls Industries. Delivery of the steering gear systems will begin in the first quarter of 2015 and continue into the third quarter of 2017. "These latest awards for the DDG 51 Class steering gear system demonstrates Northrop Grumman's continued excellence in delivering quality mission-critical systems for U.S. Navy ships and submarines," said Bill Hannon, vice president of Northrop Grumman's Maritime Systems business unit. Our expertise in producing steering, integrated bridge, inertial navigation, machinery controls and other systems makes Northrop Grumman a world leader in shipboard navigation, sensors and ship controls. The steering gear systems will be directly linked to the ships' integrated bridge, as well as the navigation and inertial navigation systems, Northrop Grumman is supplying the shipbuilders under separate contracts. The destroyers are DDG 51 Class Arleigh Burke destroyers. Northrop said the latest order brings to 69 the number of steering gear systems supplied for the DDG 51 program since the late 1980s.