News Release

GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE TO TEST PATENTED SPIKE FOR CONTROLLING AND REDUCING SONIC BOOM ON NASA F-15
Flight Testing will Verify Structural Integrity of Multi-segmented, Articulating, Advanced Composite Material Quiet Spike

SAVANNAH , Ga. , July 17, 2006 – Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), this summer will test the structural integrity of its patented telescopic Quiet Spike ™ sonic boom mitigator on a NASA F-15 flight test bed. The company designed and developed the Quiet Spike as a means of controlling and reducing the sonic boom caused by an aircraft ‘breaking’ the sound barrier.

A series of flights, to be conducted in late July and early August at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in the California Mojave Desert, will validate the structural integrity of the multi-segmented, articulating Quiet Spike.

Made of advanced composite materials, the Quiet Spike weighs some 470 pounds and extends from 14 feet in subsonic flight to 24 feet in supersonic flight. Since March 2004, when Gulfstream was awarded a patent for the Quiet Spike, the device has been through extensive ground testing, including wind-tunnel testing, to arrive at the point where it could be installed on an F-15B aircraft and flown. The F-15B is capable of flying at speeds in excess of Mach 2.0, or two times the speed of sound.

"From the outset it has been understood that the sonic boom must be reduced to acceptable levels before consideration could be given to developing a prototype quiet supersonic jet," said Pres Henne, senior vice president, programs, engineering and test, Gulfstream Aerospace. "These tests are just a few in a series of activities which must be undertaken to prove to numerous regulatory agencies and environmental groups, both at home and abroad, that supersonic flight over land is achievable in a way that will significantly reduce the impact of the sonic boom on people and on the environment. It is only one step, but a very important step, for all of us."

Once the Quiet Spike has proven to be structurally sound, it can be incorporated with confidence onto advanced low-boom configuration aircraft to further control and mitigate adverse acoustic impacts of supersonic flight. The Quiet Spike will be an important means of changing the traditional N-wave sonic boom into smooth and more rounded pressure waves, 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.

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 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 7,900 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 72,700 people worldwide and had 2005 revenue of $21.2 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 can be found online at www.generaldynamics.com.