PITTSBURGH, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The DDG 1000 Program has awarded Converteam North America contracts as the High Voltage Single System Vendor for the first Zumwalt Class destroyers for the U.S. Navy. The deal includes contracts from Northrop Grumman's Ship Systems sector in Pascagoula, Mississippi and General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine.

"Valued at $183.15 million, these contracts verify Converteam's position as the most experienced electric propulsion integrator for Navy platforms in North America," says Converteam's DDG 1000 Program Director, Paul Thompson. He adds, "this project is a natural progression in a series of other significant project wins for us including U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, the T-AKE class (9 vessels under contract), LHD-8 and LHA-6. It showcases our capability to reach beyond traditional electrical engineering services and provide a more diverse set of integrated electrical propulsion systems."

Executed in the U.S., Converteam's DDG 1000 team will be providing highly complex power generation, power distribution, and propulsion systems on board the dual lead ships of these revolutionary vessels. "This communicates a strong message to our employees as well," particularly when outsourcing is prevalent," comments Thompson. He adds, "Projects like DDG 1000 underpins the real strength of our business."

DDG 1000 will function as an integral part of naval, joint or combined maritime forces, and will provide advanced land attack capability in support of ground campaigns in littoral operations. DDG 1000 technologies are in an advanced state of development and will influence ship design worldwide for the remainder of the century.

These new multi-mission warships will be built at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Pascagoula and at General Dynamics' Bath Iron Works in Maine.

About Converteam -- Converteam Group is a world leader in power-conversion engineering. Building on over a century of experience, the company is firmly placed at the leading edge of technology and innovation with a global reputation for excellence in the conversion of electrical energy into mechanical performance. Converteam develops and provides solutions built around three core components: rotating machines, drives, and process automation. Converteam provides power conversion solutions worldwide, serving its core markets in Marine& Offshore, Oil & Gas, Energy, and Industry, as well as various specialized sectors. Headquartered in Paris, France, the company employs over 3,800 people in various other locations around the world including the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Brazil, China, and India. Converteam's North American operation is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, employing 200 people, with offices in Miami, Houston, Houma (LA), Seattle, and Burlington & Vancouver, Canada. Converteam Group's 2006 sales total more than $840,000,000.

CONTACT: Alexis Williams, External Communications Manager of Converteam
Group, +1-412-963-3218, alexis.williams@converteam.com

Web site: http://www.converteam.com/