Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division has been selected by Lufthansa to provide its new LTN-101E inertial reference units for 10 Airbus A380 aircraft. Lufthansa will operate the first four aircraft in the summer flight plan period 2008.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Northrop Grumman's advanced navigation system technology was integral to the selection of the LTN-101E by Lufthansa, providing the aircraft high dispatch reliability and lower cost of ownership demanded by today's carriers," said Bob Bushnell, director of Business Development at Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division. "Its interchangeability and intermixability with earlier LTN-101s make it an ideal choice to support the entire Lufthansa fleet."

The Northrop Grumman LTN-101E inertial reference unit replaces ring-laser gyro technology with fiber-optic gyros and micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) silicon accelerometers that are more reliable and easier to maintain. It is interchangeable and intermixable with the earlier LTN-101 system utilized on Airbus aircraft, including the, A320, A330, A340 and A380.

Fiber-optic gyros and MEMS accelerometer enhancements provide the LTN-101E with a three-fold increase in system reliability, a significant savings in weight and power and a reduction in the overall cost of ownership over ring-laser gyro units used in most other inertial reference units.

Enhancements over its predecessor, the LTN-101, include a more than 50 percent reduction in electronic modules, faster processors, and a new interface bus that speeds transfer of data within the aircraft.

Utilizing Northrop Grumman's patented AIME algorithm, the system integrates inertial and GPS measurements to provide highly accurate aircraft position with the highest integrity available.

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