Vought Aircraft Industries to Participate in Navy League; Company Announces $497,000 DARPA Contract

Business Wire, March 22, 2005

DALLAS -- Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. is showcasing its proven track record and advanced technological capabilities with military aircraft at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition this week in Washington.

As the Navy League show opens here today, Vought announced it recently received a DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) contract valued at $497,000 to investigate the feasibility of a sea-going unmanned aerial vehicle that could take-off and land on water. Under the DARPA contract, Vought will modify an existing aircraft for water operations, develop sea state sensors, develop ATOL (Autonomous Take Off and Landing) software, and demonstrate vehicle capability to modify flight characteristics based on transmitted sea state data.

Vought's exhibit (booth 4007) features work related to key U.S. military programs: the Sikorsky BLACK HAWK helicopter (Vought builds cabin structure for new H-60 variants); Northrop Grumman's RQ-4A/B Global Hawk UAV (Vought creates the composite wing structure); Bell/Boeing's V-22 Osprey (Vought provides the empennage, cargo ramp and door, sponsons and other components); Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (Vought produces the composite lower wing skins); and the Kingfisher II hybrid UAV.

"This is an exceptional forum for us to highlight our capabilities in the military marketplace," said Erich Smith, senior vice president, program management and business development. "Vought has a long history of innovation and ingenuity, and now through our Kingfisher II concept, we have an exciting new research project that positions us well for future work in unmanned systems."

Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. (www.voughtaircraft.com) is one of the world's largest independent suppliers of aerostructures. Headquartered in Dallas, the company designs and manufactures major airframe structures such as wings, fuselage subassemblies, empennages, nacelles and other components for prime manufacturers of aircraft. Vought has annual sales of approximately $1.2 billion and more than 6,000 employees in seven U.S. locations.