Northrop Grumman Corporation has entered into an agreement with Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, to supply its LCR-100 Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) for the Bell 412 helicopter through 2017.

Produced by Northrop Grumman Navigation and Maritime Systems Division's subsidiary in Germany, Northrop Grumman LITEF, the LCR-100 AHRS is a widely used system that has been in service on numerous rotorcraft and fixed-wing platforms since its inception in 2008. The LCR-100 provides the aircraft with critical flight control and navigation data.

"Since the late 1990s, our involvement with Bell Helicopter on the B412 has been one of the cornerstones of our success," said Eckehardt Keip, managing director for Northrop Grumman LITEF. "This extension of our long-term agreement strengthens Northrop Grumman's commitment to Bell Helicopter and we look forward to continuing our support of this proven platform."

The LCR‑100 employs a fibre-optic gyro-based inertial measurement unit and an advanced micro-electromechanical system triad accelerometer. The unit has a high-performance directional gyro mode, which minimizes compass errors, and exceeds the Technical Standard Order/ European Technical Standard Order (TSO/ETSO) C5e/f non-magnetic, gyro-stabilized drift requirement, enabling improved operation at extreme latitudes.