General Dynamics to Integrate Ship Mission System for the Austal Joint High Speed Vessel

FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Austal USA has selected General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems as the ship mission system integrator for its Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV). The JHSV will provide the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army with superior capability to perform intra-theater lift. General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems will design, integrate and test the ship's electronic systems including the computing environment, internal and external communication, electronic navigation, aviation and armament systems.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to leverage our integration experience and open computing infrastructure from the Littoral Combat Ship program on another important maritime project," said Michael Tweed-Kent, vice president and general manager of integrated combat systems for General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems.

"We have made substantial investments to make our technologies scalable and reusable across multiple platforms with different needs and complexities. As a result, our open architecture and open business model approach is bringing low-risk, affordable capability to both the Army and the Navy on this essential program."

Austal USA is one of three shipyards awarded $3 million contracts to develop preliminary designs for the JHSV. At the conclusion of the six-month JHSV Preliminary Design Contract, the Austal JHSV team will submit a proposal for the detailed design and construction contract. That award will include a construction contract for the first ship and options for an additional seven ships to be awarded by 2012.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, operates and maintains mission systems for defense, space, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, homeland security and homeland defense customers. Headquartered in Fairfax, Va., the company specializes in ground systems, imagery processing, mission payloads, space vehicles; maritime subsurface, surface and airborne mission systems; and tasking, collection, processing, exploitation, and dissemination programs for national intelligence. More information is available on the Internet at www.gd-ais.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 83,500 people worldwide and reported 2007 revenues of $27.2 billion. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available online at http://www.generaldynamics.com.

SOURCE General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems