News Release

GULFSTREAM CONTINUES RESEARCH EFFORTS IN SONIC BOOM SUPPRESSION
Supersonic Acoustic Signature Simulator II ™ (SASSII) Enables Scientists, Legislators and Environmentalists to Experience the 'Gulfstream Whisper'

SAVANNAH, Ga., Nov. 8, 2005 -- Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been furthering its research efforts to suppress sonic booms caused by supersonic aircraft flying overhead. For the past seven months, Gulfstream has been demonstrating its new simulated sound of supersonic flight to scientists, legislators and environmentalists across the country.

Supersonic Acoustic Signature Simulator II ™

Gulfstream’s Supersonic Acoustic Signature Simulator II ™ (SASSII) is a mobile audio booth designed and equipped to demonstrate the "Gulfstream Whisper," the aerospace company’s latest effort to provide a solution to the traditional sonic boom. The booth has traveled extensively across the country - from Savannah to California to Washington, D.C.

In contrast to a boom, the Gulfstream Whisper is the sound a person on the ground would hear if a supersonic aircraft, fitted with Gulfstream’s patented spike for controlling and reducing sonic boom flew overhead at Mach 1.8 - approximately twice the speed of today’s subsonic civil jets. Gulfstream engineers and scientists have developed aerodynamic technology that has significantly transformed the traditional supersonic cruise acoustic signature referred to as a sonic boom.

In the 7 by 11 foot audio booth, which features a custom arrangement of high-fidelity speakers and is housed in a 32-foot-long trailer, visitors can compare the sound of traditional sonic booms to that of the Gulfstream Whisper. Since the acoustic simulator’s first public exhibition in March at the

Aviation Noise & Air Quality Symposium in Palm Springs, Calif., more than 600 people have experienced the Gulfstream Whisper. To date, everyone who has experienced the Whisper has been impressed with the results.

"We’ve essentially taken the ‘boom’ out of ‘sonic boom’," said Pres Henne, senior vice president, programs, engineering and test, Gulfstream. "Based on our analysis and testing, the Gulfstream Whisper is so indistinct that most people on the ground wouldn’t even realize a supersonic aircraft had passed overhead."

A supersonic aircraft such as the Concorde in cruise produces a traditional jagged "N-wave" sonic boom pressure wave, resulting in a loud, jarring double boom on the ground as it passes by. This noise characteristic led the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to forbid supersonic overland flight in the United States more than 30 years ago. Gulfstream’s patented spike for controlling and reducing sonic boom transforms the traditional N-wave sonic boom into a smooth and more rounded pressure wave shaped roughly like a sine wave or a sideways "S." This change in the wave shape results in a softer sound that is quieter than the Concorde sonic boom by a factor of 10,000. In most situations, the Gulfstream Whisper would be imperceptible, masked by ambient noises.

Gulfstream developed the mobile Supersonic Acoustic Signature Simulator II (SASSII) so others could experience this dramatic sound difference. The simulator enables visitors to sense for themselves the dramatic difference in sound, reverberation and intensity. Using a sophisticated, computer-based audio system, the acoustic engineer sends the audio feed into a sound booth where visitors can compare various sound signatures. Gulfstream’s original simulator, SASSI, is in the company’s acoustic laboratory at its Savannah, Ga., facility and was instrumental in the early stages of quiet signature technology development.

"We need the scientific, environmental and legislative communities to hear the Gulfstream Whisper," said Henne. "Their collective support in generating acceptance of this technological breakthrough is essential to removing the sonic boom barrier to supersonic civil transportation."

NASA Grants $1 Million for Feasibility Study

Gulfstream is also part of a NASA-sponsored sonic research effort. In July, NASA granted four industry teams $1 million each to investigate the feasibility of developing a demonstration airplane that, when flown at Mach 1 and beyond, is sufficiently quiet to fly over populated areas. Gulfstream is teamed with Northrop Grumman on this effort.

Federal Regulations

Currently, supersonic flight of civil aircraft over land is prohibited by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Part 91.817 regulation. This regulation stems from President Lyndon B. Johnson’s efforts to initiate noise abatement regulation as the number of aircraft and amount of aircraft traffic significantly increased during the 1960s. In 1968, President Johnson signed an amendment to the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 that gave the FAA power to ban over-land supersonic flight. Without a change in the regulation that bans civil supersonic flight over land, the market value of any supersonic civil aircraft design is diminished by the operational constraints.

"The regulation was rightfully initiated as a reaction to the potential of dramatically increased noise levels due to sonic booms," added Henne. "However, since then, advances in technology have enabled us to produce aircraft that are much quieter. We believe it is time to consider reviewing and amending the regulations to ensure they reflect current technologies, which have brought us to the threshold of revolutionizing aviation as we know it today."

NOTE TO EDITORS

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 1,500 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the mid-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G100™; the wide-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350™; the large-cabin, long-range G450™; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500™ and the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550™. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Financial Services Division and Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales®. The company employs more than 7,200 people at seven major locations. We invite you to visit our Web site for more information and photos of Gulfstream aircraft at www.gulfstream.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 71,900 people worldwide and had 2004 revenue of $19.2 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation. More information about the company can be found at www.generaldynamics.com.