BERLIN, 12 Sept. 2012. Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) won a contract to supply the hybrid global positioning system (GPS) and inertial reference system for Embraer Defense and Security’s KC-390 medium-lift military transport aircraft.
Engineers at Northrop Grumman LITEF, the German navigation systems subsidiary of the prime contractor, will provide the fiber-optic, gyro-compass LCR-100 Attitude and Heading Reference System for use on Embraer's fly-by-wire KC-390 aircraft, scheduled for flight in 2014.
The LCR-100 inertial reference system provides navigation information on the aircraft's position, heading, and attitude. Its gyro-compass feature eliminates the need for a magnetic sensing unit; further, the system offers extended coasting performance enabling the aircraft to maintain accuracy and continue to provide navigation information in the event of GPS signal loss.
"The LCR-100 gyro-compass brings efficiencies, savings, and safety to Embraer's KC-390 military transport aircraft," according to Eckehardt Keip, managing director for Northrop Grumman LITEF. "This system will meet the exacting standards Embraer sets for its new aircraft."
Northrop Grumman LITEF is a supplier of inertial sensors, inertial reference, and inertial navigation systems and computers with products deployed in more than 30 countries in aircraft, marine vessels, and ground mobile applications. The company has more than 15,000 fiber-optic gyro systems serving in aircraft worldwide.
The KC-390 is a Brazilian air force project anticipated to set new standards in the medium-lift military transport market for performance, cargo capacity, flexibility, and life-cycle costs. In addition to troop and cargo transportation, the aircraft will be capable of in-flight refueling, search and rescue, and medical evacuation.
