BAE SYSTEMS' TERPROM ADDED TO USAF A-10 THUNDERBOLT II

The TERPROM® Digital Terrain System (DTS), designed and produced by BAE Systems Avionics (Tactical Products) of Plymouth, will be added to the United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet. BAE Systems will work under subcontract to Lockheed Martin Systems Integration of Owego, N.Y., the A/OA-10 prime contractor.

TERPROM®' will be integrated by Lockheed Martin into the Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) Data Transfer Cartridge to provide state-of-the-art ground proximity and obstacle warnings for Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) protection, vertical steering cues for low-level operations and passive target-ranging information. This will improve the A-10's operational effectiveness by reducing pilot workload, increasing survivability, reducing observability and improving weapon aiming.

The programme is part of the Lockheed Martin Suite 2 upgrade of the A/AO-10, which will also include improvements to the pilot vehicle interface, flight-plan menu and weapon-aiming system.

TERPROM® correlates stored terrain elevation data against inputs from the aircraft's navigation system and covert radar altimeter to achieve a highly accurate, drift-free navigation solution. This is used to provide predictive terrain awareness information free from detectable forward emissions.

TERPROM®, the world's most advanced DTS, is in service with, or has been selected for incorporation on, the F-16 fleets of the United States Air Force, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Greece. It has been selected by, or is in service with, UK Royal Air Force Harriers, Tornados and Jaguars, and with Jaguar and Mirage 2000 fleets in the Middle East. It is also to equip the new Eurofighter Typhoon. In addition, the BAE Systems Terrain Awareness Warning System (TAWS), a derivative of TERPROM® specifically designed for military transport aircraft, has been selected by the United States Air Force for its C-17 Globemaster fleet.

BAE Systems Avionics (Tactical Products) at Plymouth is a European leader in high technology defence and aerospace engineering. In addition to being a centre of excellence in the field of navigation, the site specialises in both solid-state and rotating motion sensors.

About BAE SYSTEMS:

BAE Systems, formed by the merger of British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems in November 1999, is the truly global systems, defence and aerospace company. BAE Systems employs more than 100,000 people, in nine home markets around the world and has annual sales of some £12 billion. The company offers an unrivalled global capability in air, sea, land and space with a world-class prime contracting ability supported by a range of key skills. BAE Systems designs and manufactures civil and military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, space systems, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, guided weapon systems and a range of other defence products.