BAE SYSTEMS Real-Time Operating System Selected for C-17 Globemaster III Flight Control Upgrade.

Business Editors

JOHNSON CITY, N.Y--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 2003

BAE SYSTEMS open-architecture real-time operating system has been selected for use on a major upgrade to the flight control system on the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport.

The company's CsLEOS(TM) RTOS will underpin the C-17's Modernized Flight Control Computer and Spoiler Control Electronic Flap Computer programs - two efforts Boeing Integrated Defense Systems recently issued to BAE SYSTEMS Platform Solutions under separate awards.

Use of the CsLEOS(TM) RTOS, along with the artifacts in the available certification package, will allow for the flight control suite to be DO-178B Level A-qualified in support of Global Air Traffic Management (GATM) system requirements. GATM, established by the Federal Aviation Administration in co-operation with the International Civil Aviation Organization, aims to enhance safety in increasingly crowded world-wide air space.

The embedded, open-architecture operating system, which uses "brick-wall" time and memory partitioning in compliance with the ARINC 653 specification, also reduces life-cycle costs by permitting upgrades to be made without recertification of the entire application.

"Boeing and BAE SYSTEMS have enjoyed a long relationship on the C-17, with our work on the flight control dating to 1989, and have grown to become the largest avionics supplier on the aircraft," said James Scanlon, president of BAE SYSTEMS Platform Solutions. "We are excited about incorporating our real-time operating system into this next phase of the flight control program." The C-17 is operated by the U.S. Air Force and the U.K Royal Air Force.

The CsLEOS(TM) operating system is the only commercial, off-the-shelf RTOS offered by a safety-critical systems company. Its brick-wall partitioning allows multiple applications to run on the same system without interfering with each other, ensuring that safety-critical functions are protected from other processes running on the same hardware. The unique design of the CsLEOS(TM) RTOS provides capabilities that both enhance performance and reduce development efforts:

Multiple scheduling modes -- a flexible feature that increases performance by allowing users to switch between different schedule profiles in real time, making it possible to change the schedule of existing applications and/or add new applications on the fly.

Separate loadable images that allow each application to be built and downloaded as a separate program, reducing life-cycle costs and minimizing the need for regression testing.

A DO-178B, Level A-certifiable version of the CsLEOS(TM) RTOS, complete with documentation artifacts to support system certification, is available now. (D0-178B, developed by RTCA Inc., a non-profit company in Washington, D.C., is the international standard for certifying software used in safety-critical airborne systems.)

About BAE SYSTEMS:

BAE SYSTEMS is a systems company, innovating for a safer world. BAE SYSTEMS employs nearly 100,000 people including joint ventures, and has annual sales of around $18 billion. The company offers a global capability in air, sea, land, and space with a world-class prime contracting ability supported by a range of key skills. BAE SYSTEMS designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, surface ships, submarines, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, guided weapon systems, and a range of other defense products. BAE SYSTEMS is dedicated to making the intelligent connections needed to deliver innovative solutions.

BAE SYSTEMS North America is a high-technology U.S. company employing more than 25,000 Americans who live and work in some 30 states, the District of Columbia, and the United Kingdom. The company is dedicated to solving its customers' needs with highly innovative and leading edge solutions across the defense electronics, systems, information technology, and services arenas.

BAE SYSTEMS Platform Solutions, part of BAE SYSTEMS North America, is a leading global supplier of integrated electronic control products, subsystems, and man-machine interface systems for air, space, sea, and ground vehicles. The business develops and produces electronic vehicle management systems, electronic engine controls, cockpit and helmet displays, and inertial systems for a variety of platforms including fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, missiles, ground vehicles, ships, and space launch vehicles. It also produces HybriDrive(TM) propulsion systems for intra-city transit buses and other medium and large vehicles. Headquartered in Johnson City, it employs approximately 6,400 people at 12 facilities in the United States and the United Kingdom.