Kearfott Guidance & Navigation
Encyclopedia
Kearfott was a defense equipment manufacturer founded in 1917. Today the electronics division is part of BAE Systems
, while the remaining Kearfott Guidance & Navigation division is a subsidiary of the Astronautics Corporation of America
. Kearfott Guidance & Navigation Corporation officially changed its name to "Kearfott Corporation" effective June 1, 2008, reflecting the fact that the scope of the company's business was not limited to guidance and navigation products.
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In 1987 Singer split Kearfott; the Kearfott Guidance & Navigation division was sold to the Astronautics Corporation of America in 1988, and the Electronic Systems Division was purchased by GEC-Marconi in 1990 and renamed GEC-Marconi Electronic Systems.
Kearfott built the inertial navigation system for the Pershing II
missile.
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
, while the remaining Kearfott Guidance & Navigation division is a subsidiary of the Astronautics Corporation of America
Astronautics Corporation of America
Astronautics Corporation of America was established in 1959 and is a major supplier, designer, and manufacturer of avionics equipment to airlines, U.S. and international governments, commercial and defense aircraft manufacturers, and other major avionics systems integrators...
. Kearfott Guidance & Navigation Corporation officially changed its name to "Kearfott Corporation" effective June 1, 2008, reflecting the fact that the scope of the company's business was not limited to guidance and navigation products.
History
Kearfott was founded in 1917 as The Kearfott Company Inc., becoming the Kearfott Division of the General Precision Equipment Corporation in 1955 and then, in 1968, the Kearfott Division of Singer Business CorporationSinger Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
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In 1987 Singer split Kearfott; the Kearfott Guidance & Navigation division was sold to the Astronautics Corporation of America in 1988, and the Electronic Systems Division was purchased by GEC-Marconi in 1990 and renamed GEC-Marconi Electronic Systems.
Projects
Among the many vehicles and devices that contain a Kearfott built Inertial Navigation Unit (INU), is the Northrop-built Global Hawk. The KN-4072 and the KN-4074 are the preferred MRLG (Monolithic Ring Laser Gyro) units for Northrop's Global Hawk. The KN-4072a and the KN-4074 are based upon the KN-4071 design series, with a few key differences, most noticeably their enclosures and interfaces. Any other differences are either classified, or Kearfott proprietary information and, as such, cannot legally be included here.Kearfott built the inertial navigation system for the Pershing II
Pershing missile
Pershing was a family of solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missiles designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable theater-level weapon. The Pershing systems lasted over 30 years from the first test...
missile.