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Thales Navigation Launches A12 OEM GPS Receiver

    SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Aug. 29, 2002--Thales (pronounced TAL-less) Navigation, a leading global provider of GPS solutions, including the Magellan(R) and Ashtech(R) product lines, today introduced its A12 OEM 12-channel GPS receiver. The A12 offers the most powerful combination of WAAS-enabled accuracy, low power consumption and compact size available in a low-cost board.
    In a package about half the size of a business card and considerably smaller than its chief competition, the A12 is accurate to within one meter using local DGPS corrections, and three meters through WAAS, EGNOS and MSAS compatibility. The A12 is expected to be a favorite among OEMs and integrators in a variety of applications, including fleet management, asset tracking, telemetry, automotive and hand-held computing.
    "There's a strong and growing demand for GPS within land navigation markets like fleet management and trucking, both as in-vehicle navigation aids and as control systems for managers keeping track of their fleet vehicles," said Neil Vancans, general manager of Thales Navigation's professional products business unit. "Thales Navigation has demonstrated its expertise in these markets -- with both our Ashtech professional solutions and our Magellan consumer products -- for several years. We're confident the A12 will set the standard for high-performance, low-cost GPS boards."
    In terms of power consumption, the A12 uses a low .23 watts at 3.3VDC. That compares to .70 watts for previous-generation boards and .47 watts for leading competitive units.
    In addition to the advantage of its compact 60-mm x 39-mm x 13-mm size, the A12 flexibility and ease of integration is expected to appeal to integrators. The system is designed to use active or passive antennas and is compatible with the products of most antenna manufacturers, giving integrators wide latitude in choosing their equipment. Further, the A12 is NMEA 0183-compatible to enable easy integration with other applications.

    About Thales Navigation Vehicle Navigation Systems

    Thales Navigation has a long history of developing successful GPS systems for vehicle navigation and positioning applications. Through its joint venture with Hertz, Thales Navigation has developed the Hertz NeverLost(R) vehicle navigation system. More than 50,000 of the systems are installed in Hertz rental cars worldwide. Thales Navigation also markets its own 750 Nav systems for aftermarket users. Professional Ashtech navigation and positioning systems include the DG14, an OEM board used by RaceLogic for Formula One vehicles, and others in sophisticated vehicle performance testing solutions.

    About Thales Navigation

    Thales Navigation is one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of positioning, navigation and guidance equipment with operations throughout the U.S. and Europe. Thales Navigation markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its Ashtech GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets. Thales Navigation's key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first professional Long-Range Kinematic (LRK(tm)) GPS receiver.
    Thales Navigation, headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., is a subsidiary of Thales, a leading professional electronics company headquartered in Paris, France, with activities in aerospace, defense and information technology and services. For more information, visit www.thalesnavigation.com.

    For product information and specifications, visit www.ashtech.com, write to oem@ashtech.com, or contact one of the following sales offices:
    Corporate Headquarters, Santa Clara, U.S.A. +1 408 615 5100 -- Fax +1 408 615 5200
    In Washington, D.C. +1 703 476 2212 -- Fax +1 703 476 2214
    In South America +56 2 234 56 43 -- Fax +56 2 234 56 47
    European Sales Headquarters, France +33 2 28 09 38 00 -- Fax +33 2 28 09 39 39
    In Germany +49 81 6564 7930 -- Fax +49 81 6564 7950
    In Russia +7 095 956 5400 -- Fax +7 095 956 5360
    In The Netherlands +31 78 61 57 988 -- Fax +31 78 61 52 027
    In The U.K. +44 1993 8867 66 -- Fax +44 1993 8867 67

    Ashtech and Magellan are registered trademarks of Thales Navigation.
    LRK is a trademark of Thales Navigation.
    NeverLost is a registered trademark of Thales Navigation.