Hughes Training Awarded Major Contract by Denmark for Air Traffic Control Training Systems.

BURGESS HILL, U.K.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 1997--The Hughes Training Division of Hughes UK Limited has been awarded a contract worth more than $8 million by Denmark's Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) to provide advanced air traffic control training systems.

This program marks the first major order for FIRSTplus, Hughes Training's next generation air traffic control training product line.

The FIRSTplus training systems -- which will be installed at the CAA Academy at Copenhagen Airport at Kastrup, Denmark -- will provide controllers with a complete range of training. Denmark's CAA Academy recruits and trains both civil and military controllers to handle Danish and Greenland airspaces.

The integrated training system Hughes training will deliver includes 34 radar simulator work positions, five aerodrome trainers and one advanced air traffic control visual tower simulator.

"The fully integrated range of radar and tower simulators will provide efficient training for all levels of ATC personnel in enroute, terminal and tower ATC operations," said Bill McGrath, Hughes Training's executive director of air transport products and services. "To meet training requirements, the unique flexibility of FIRSTplus enables different configurations of simulators to be easily selected and combinations of large and smaller training exercises to be run simultaneously."

"We found Hughes Training to have the greatest experience in producing both radar and tower simulators," said Per Hanson, chief of Denmark's CAA Academy. "A close study of their offer, combined with visits to other Hughes Training simulators, convinced us that Hughes Training simulators are the right choice.

"By obtaining the latest generation of simulators," Hanson added, "we will be able to conduct training in a very flexible manner, from the simplest part task training to fully integrated air traffic management systems training. This will result in higher skill levels for students and will reduce on-the-job training time."

Denmark's students will train in a real-time, high fidelity air traffic control environment that will call for them to master aircraft separation standards, control techniques and operating procedures. In addition, students will learn how to handle emergency and unusual situations.

The FIRSTplus visual air traffic control tower simulator will have two controller and one assistant workstations interfaced with four pseudo-pilot positions.

Continuous, out-the-window visual scenes of Copenhagen and other airports will be projected over the tower simulator's 270 degree horizontal field-of-view display. The visual scenes are real-time, full-color computer generated images that use accurate three-dimensional models of airports, aircraft, ground vehicles and the air traffic control environment.

For any exercise, the visual data base will include more than 50 moving models -- such as aircraft and ground vehicles -- and many animated special effects.

The five FIRSTplus aerodrome simulators will provide ground, tower, approach and departure control training. A close-up view of ground operations and an overview of the visual circuit are provided by two-dimensional, aerial displays.

The extensive network of radar simulators will support training in both terminal and area operations using pairs of controller and assistant workstations with positions for pseudo-pilots, system management and exercise preparation. Each student controller station will include a radar display that incorporates the new generation of color window presentations, ground display, supplementary data monitor and communications. Each assistant controller station will include both a radar and ground display. In addition, seven radar simulator planner stations, one mobile planner station and one remote exercise preparation position will be delivered.

Hughes Training Inc. is a unit of Hughes Aircraft Co., which is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp. The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock.

CONTACT: Hughes Aircraft

Rick Oyler, 817/619-3536 (USA)

Mark Douglas, 44-171-491-4149 (Europe)