Northrop Grumman Corporation, in cooperation with prime contractor Rockwell Collins Inc., provided the attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) that recently supported the first flight of the new Embraer Legacy 500 executive jet.

Northrop Grumman supplied the fibre-optic, gyro-compassing LCR-100 AHRS for integration with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion® avionics system on the fly-by-wire Legacy 500 and Legacy 450 aircraft. Certification of the Legacy 500 is planned for early 2014 and will be followed by certification of the Legacy 450.

Developed by Northrop Grumman LITEF, which is Northrop Grumman's navigation systems subsidiary in Freiburg, Germany, the LCR-100 AHRS provides navigation information regarding the aircraft's position, heading and attitude. The north-finding gyro-compass feature eliminates the need for a magnetic sensing unit, similar to an inertial reference system. Additionally, the system's precise inertial measurement unit enables extended coasting performance for the aircraft to continue providing accurate navigation information in the event of GPS signal loss.

"The gyro-compassing LCR-100 performed flawlessly during the successful first flight of the Embraer Legacy 500, demonstrating its high-performance capabilities and greater efficiency," said Eckehardt Keip, managing director for Northrop Grumman LITEF. "Our system supports the precise navigation needed for required navigation performance airspace, and provides a totally independent source of critical flight information in case of GPS loss."