Northrop Grumman to provide navigation systems for Cessna's new Citation Latitude business jet

Cessna Aircraft Company has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) navigation and global positioning systems for the new Citation Latitude business jet. The LCR-100 and LCR-100N fibre-optic inertial navigation systems/global positioning systems (INS/GPS) are developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation's navigation systems subsidiary, Northrop Grumman LITEF.

Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will provide the fibre-optic gyro-compass LCR-100 Attitude and Heading Reference System and the LCR-100N Hybrid Navigator for the Citation Latitude aircraft. Cessna's certification of both products for the Citation Latitude offers customers greater flexibility and the choice between two form and fit compatible units.

This follows last year's announcement at the National Business Aviation Association Annual Meeting and Convention that Cessna had selected Northrop Grumman's LCR-100N Hybrid Navigator for the Citation Ten business jet.

"The LCR-100 and LCR-100N offer improved performance and cost savings for Cessna's new business jets," said Eckehardt Keip, managing director for Northrop Grumman LITEF. "The LCR-100 product family with Hybrid Navigation provides a versatile solution to meet the demands of the evolving commercial marketplace and to support the precise navigation needed for Required Navigation Performance airspace."

The LCR-100 and its enhanced version, the LCR-100N, provide navigation information regarding the aircraft's position, heading and attitude. The gyro-compass feature eliminates the need for a magnetic sensing unit, similar to an inertial reference system. The products offer extended coasting performance that allows the aircraft to maintain accuracy and continue to provide navigation information in the event of GPS signal loss.

Under a separate multiyear contract, Northrop Grumman began test programme deliveries of the LCR-100N for Cessna's Citation Ten jet in the second half of 2011. A successful first flight of the Citation Ten with the LCR-100N occurred in January 2012. Production deliveries will commence this year. The LCR-100 and LCR-100N are part of the company's inertial Hybrid Navigators product line, which includes the forthcoming LCR-110.