News Release
GULFSTREAM ENHANCED VISION SYSTEM™ IN SERVICE ON 100
GULFSTREAM AIRCRAFT
Enhanced Vision System Translates to Enhanced
Safety
SAVANNAH, Ga., July 19, 2004 – Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has retrofit 82 Gulfstream business aircraft with the Gulfstream Enhanced Vision System (EVS). As of March 31, 2004 - 13 large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550 aircraft have been delivered with EVS. Gulfstream also has installed EVS on a total of five developmental aircraft used in the company’s G550 and G450 flight test programs.
Since the first EVS was installed on an in-service Air Force C-37A aircraft in May 2002, Gulfstream has installed another 56 in the large-cabin, ultra-long-range GV; 15 in the large-cabin, long-range GIV-SP; 8 in the large-cabin, long-range G400; and 2 in the large-cabin, mid-range G300 aircraft. “C-37A” is the Air Force designation for the ultra-long-range Gulfstream V business jet.
Earlier this year, the FAA validated the safety benefits of the Gulfstream EVS in a Part 91 rule change that allows pilots to use “enhanced flight visibility systems” to determine flight visibility. The landmark regulation acknowledges that certain enhanced vision systems are adequate for the pilot to “see” down to an altitude of 100 feet above the elevation of the runway’s touchdown zone.
Like the G550, Gulfstream’s newest large-cabin, long-range business jet, the long-range G450 also will include EVS as standard equipment when it begins customer deliveries in the second quarter of 2005. EVS is available as optional equipment on new large-cabin, ultra-long-range G500 and large-cabin, mid-range G350 aircraft and as a retrofit on the large-cabin, long-range G400 and large-cabin, mid-range G300 aircraft.
Certified by the Federal Aviation Administration Sept. 14, 2001, Gulfstream EVS was developed in cooperation with Kollsman Inc. The system incorporates a specially designed forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera that projects an infrared real-world image on the pilot's Honeywell Head-Up Display (HUD). The Gulfstream EVS also is the only certified system that features a cryogenically cooled detector, which provides an unmatched level of sensitivity in identifying runway lights during approach. EVS, which addresses many of the issues raised in the FAA's Safer Skies Agenda, enables the flight crew to see runway markings, taxiways, adjacent roads and surrounding areas in conditions of limited visibility. The system also helps crews avoid runway incursion and hazards that would otherwise not be easily visible.
The Gulfstream EVS has been recognized for its significant contributions to enhancing aviation safety by the Fédération Aeronautíque Internationale and has garnered a Honeywell Bendix Trophy, a Flight International Aerospace Industry Award and Flying magazine’s Flying Editor’s Choice Award.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 1,400 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the mid-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G100™; the wide-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G300™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350™; the large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G400™; the large-cabin, long-range G450™; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500™ and the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550™. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Financial Services Division and Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales®. The company employs more than 6,750 people at seven major locations. We invite you to visit our Web site for more information and photos of Gulfstream aircraft at www.gulfstream.com.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 68,400 people worldwide and anticipates 2004 revenue of $19 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation. More information about the company can be found at www.generaldynamics.com.
