Under the contract, General Dynamics Information Technology will provide engineering, procurement, assembly and factory testing services in Qatar. In addition, the company will participate in field activities associated with the construction of the Pearl GTL plant in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar, that include installation supervision, site acceptance testing, pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up activities and technical assistance.

In July 2006, Qatar Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell plc announced the launch of the world-scale integrated Pearl GTL Project in Qatar. Upstream, Pearl GTL will produce, transport and process some 1.6 billion cubic feet of wellhead gas per day to produce 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of condensate, liquefied petroleum gas and ethane. Downstream dry gas will be used as feedstock to produce 140,000 barrels per day of clean, high quality GTL fuels and products. Pearl GTL is not only the world's largest integrated GTL project, but also the largest energy project ever launched within the borders of Qatar.

"Gas-to-Liquids represents cutting-edge technology capable of converting natural gas into valuable clean products for use as fuels or chemical feedstock," said Ed Hudson, senior vice president of Global Information Services for General Dynamics Information Technology. "General Dynamics Information Technology is pleased to expand upon our previous success in the oil and gas marketplace with the Pearl GTL project."

This award builds upon General Dynamics Information Technology's experience in the oil and gas sector. The company has provided similar telecommunications, information technology and security systems integration services for oil and gas projects in Qatar, Oman, Algeria, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Italy.

General Dynamics Information Technology provides information technology (IT), systems engineering and professional services to customers in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, federal civil, international and commercial sectors. With 16,000 professionals worldwide, the company manages large-scale, mission-critical IT programs delivering IT services and enterprise solutions.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 82,900 people worldwide and anticipates 2007 revenues of more than $27 billion.