Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Provide Rate Sensor Assemblies for the M1A1 Abrams Tank

Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Provide Rate Sensor Assemblies for
the M1A1 Abrams Tank
February 11, 2010

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by General Dynamics Land Systems to supply LRS-2000 Rate Sensor Assembly units for the Stabilized Commander's Weapon Station (SCWS) on the U.S. Army M1A1 Abrams tank.

The firm, fixed-price contract is valued at $18 million.

The Northrop Grumman LRS-2000 is a two-axis rate sensor
developed specifically to support gun and turret stabilization
applications with low random drift and high reliability. Based on
Northrop Grumman's G-2000 dynamically-tuned gyroscope, it functions as
part of a larger system that provides added protection from enemy
gunfire or improvised explosive devices for the urban warfighter by
allowing soldiers to fire the tank's machine gun from inside the tank.

"The LRS-2000 Rate Sensor Assembly offers the high performance
needed for the SCWS program at a reasonable cost," said Gorik
Hossepian, vice president of navigation and positioning systems for
Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division. "It will help to
increase soldier safety and effectiveness in urban areas where attacks
can come from many directions."

The LRS-2000 is currently in production with deliveries
beginning in 2010. It features a robust design that meets or exceeds
all of the M1A1 Abrams tank requirements. A key component of the
LRS-2000, the G-2000 gyroscope provides high accuracy stabilization
capabilities in a small package. Its accuracy is enhanced by a
servo-electronics card that is specifically tailored to maximize the
performance of the two axis gyroscope.

The G-2000 gyroscope has been in production since 1992 and more
than 35,000 units have been delivered for a variety of military and
commercial applications. It is the smallest dynamically-tuned gyroscope
in production and offers high performance, small size, low cost and
excellent reliability.

General Dynamics is the prime contractor for the SCWS program
under a contract with the U.S. Army Tank and Automotive Command.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security
company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products,
and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems,
shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial
customers worldwide.

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