Euronaval 2018: iXblue lands follow-on order for USCG vessels support


iXblue Defense Systems (iXblue SAS’s U.S. Defense Subsidiary) recently received a “Sole Source” maintenance contract renewal to continue its support of the 102 Protector Class 87’ and Island Class 110’ USCG Patrol Boats relying on iXblue’s OCTANS Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOG), the French company announced at Euronaval 2018.


U.S. Coast Guard Support by iXblue Euronaval 2018 001 USCG' Protector-class vessel
(Credit: USCG)


The 2018 contract is for a base year and 4 option years and is fully funded to cover repairs and upgrades of these USCG Patrol Boat’s OCTANS FOG through 2023.

iXblue Defense Systems will shortly be conducting installation check-out and crew training for the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Ice Breaking Tug Thunder Bay (WTGB 108) as she completes her shipyard availability in Baltimore Maryland. Thunder Bay is the seventh of nine Bay Class Ice Breaking Tugs to receive one of iXblue’s OCTANS fiber-optic gyroscopes (FOG) and NavBox digital distribution units (DDU) as part of the classes’ service life extension program.

The installation of Thunder Bay’s OCTANS brings the number of OCTANS in service onboard USCG vessels to 109 fiber-optic gyroscopes. iXblue is proud of its continued support of the U.S. Coast Guard and looks forward to continuing its tradition of innovation, performance, reliability and 24/7 support of the U.S. Coast Guard far into the future.

The fifth generation Octans is an all-in-one gyrocompass and motion sensor for diverse challenging applications. Octans is built on iXblue's trusted and unique ultimate-performance Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology.