Northrop Grumman to supply new attitude and heading reference system for Airbus Helicopters

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected by Airbus Helicopters to certify and deliver its new LCR-350 Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) for several helicopter platforms.

Developed by Northrop Grumman's subsidiary in Germany, Northrop Grumman LITEF, the LCR-350 AHRS can be used in civil and military applications on rotary- and fixed-wing platforms, providing critical flight control data regarding an aircraft's heading and attitude. The LCR-350 will be certified for various Airbus Helicopters platforms. Production of the LCR-350 is expected to begin in 2016.

"Our new LCR-350 is a cost-effective solution designed to perform even in the most demanding environmental conditions that are typical for helicopters," said Eckehardt Keip, managing director, Northrop Grumman LITEF.

The LCR-350 AHRS features a high-performance, micro-electro-mechanical system inertial measurement unit and is based on the standard LCR-300 AHRS. Additionally, the system enables directional gyro mode operation, which minimizes magnetic compass errors.