General Dynamics C4 Systems Wins $10 Million Gigabit Ethernet Encryptor Contract

NEEDHAM, Mass. – The National Security Agency has awarded a $10 million contract to General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), to partially fund the development of a Gigabit Ethernet Encryptor (GigEE) that will be capable of encrypting sensitive information to be transmitted over the Internet and other Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks at speeds of at least one Gigabit per second – or about 48,000 typewritten pages per second.

The first prototype of the GigEE encryptor will be delivered 4th quarter 2004.

The General Dynamics GigEE encryptor will be compliant with the U.S. government’s High-Assurance IP Encryption (HAIPE) standards, ensuring interoperability with all future generations of IP encryptors developed for the U.S. government. This product will use the latest technology and will carry forward proven designs and approaches developed for General Dynamics’ IP and ATM TACLANE and FASTLANE® ATM Encryptor.

“Our engineering capability and early research work on high-assurance Type 1 IP and ATM encryptors led to this win,” said Dick Perreault, General Dynamics vice president and general manager for Trusted Network Solutions. “The GigEE program represents a natural evolution of high-assurance Type 1 encryption to address the increasing speeds at which current and future networks transmit information.”

General Dynamics designs, develops and manufactures a family of Type 1, NSA-certified in-line network encryptors. The TACLANE encryptor is designed for both tactical and strategic networks and is available in two interfaces--the Classic and E100. The TACLANE Classic provides secure communications in a single device for both IP and ATM networks. TACLANE-E100 is the fastest NSA-Certified IP encryptor in the world, with a throughput of over 100 Megabits per second (Mb/s). The FASTLANE® ATM Encryptor provides high-speed, low latency, Type 1 security for multi-media applications. FASTLANE interfaces are available from DS-1 (1.54 Mb/s) to OC-48 (2.5 Gb/s) with a planned increase to OC-192 (10 Gb/s).

General Dynamics C4 Systems provides secure command, control, computing, communication and information solutions that integrate custom-developed and commercial off-the-shelf products for the military and commercial markets. It designs, integrates, and supports strategic and tactical battlefield communication systems, worldwide. It has pioneered automated approaches to mission planning; battlespace management; targeting/fire support; mapping, charting and geodesy and simulation for its military and commercial customers. It also provides environmentally hardened and special packaging of computer equipment and peripherals for both customer segments.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 54,000 people worldwide and anticipates 2002 revenues of $14 billion. The company has leading market positions in land and amphibious combat systems, mission-critical information systems and technologies, shipbuilding and marine systems, and business aviation.

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Any "forward-looking statements" contained in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

General Dynamics Corporation (ticker: GD, exchange: NYSE)
News Release - Wednesday, November 6, 2002
Press Contact: (508) 880-1636