Press release EADS North America expands UH-145 industrial team

Three leading suppliers - Turbomeca, Keith Products and Aerolite - to provide key helicopter systems

Arlington, Virginia, February 15, 2006 - EADS North America and its subsidiary American Eurocopter have expanded the UH-145 team with the addition of three new U.S. suppliers, broadening the American industrial footprint for this rotary-wing aircraft offered in the Army's Light Utility Helicopter competition.

Joining the UH-145 program are Turbomeca USA of Grand Prairie, Texas; Keith Products of Addison, Texas and Aerolite of Everett, Washington.

"Brought together under the leadership of our American Eurocopter subsidiary, these new program partners bring significant expertise in critical military helicopter systems and hardware, adding even more value to our Light Utility Helicopter solution for the U.S. Army," said Ralph D. Crosby, Jr., Chairman and CEO of EADS North America. "The commitment of these key suppliers to manufacture major UH-145 subsystems and components in the U.S. reflects the EADS strategy of insourcing jobs and technology to the U.S. that will significantly contribute to the nation's defense."

The three companies join UH-145 team founding members EADS North America, American Eurocopter, Sikorsky, WestWind Technologies and CAE USA.

Turbomeca USA will assemble and test the UH-145's Arriel 1E2 engines at its Grand Prairie, Texas factory. These reliable turboshaft engines are part of Turbomeca's Arriel family of powerplants used on rotary-wing aircraft around the world, including American Eurocopter's HH-65s for the U.S. Coast Guard - which are being fitted with Arriel 2C2s as part of a major upgrade program. Turbomeca's Grand Prairie factory is located adjacent to American Eurocopter's U.S. headquarters, and is being expanded to accommodate UH-145 engine production as well as its growing U.S. business volume.

Keith Products has been selected to produce the UH-145's cabin heating and ventilation systems, along with the avionics cooling system. The cabin heating and ventilation system manages the interior temperature for crew and passengers, while the avionics cooling system ensures proper operating temperatures for the helicopter's navigation, communications and mission equipment. Keith Products already supplies these heating, ventilation and cooling systems as standard equipment for all civilian EC145 versions of the UH-145, producing the hardware at its Addison, Texas headquarters.

Aerolite will provide the cabin installation for NATO-standard stretchers used on the UH-145 for medical evacuation missions. The company's retainer mounts were chosen after a "fit-check" competition with other mounting systems, and were selected for their simple, but rugged, ergonomic design. Aerolite already has supplied NATO-standard stretcher installations for numerous civilian emergency medical service (EMS) operators and police forces, and the company will manufacture its UH-145 retainer mounts in the U.S.

The U.S.-built UH-145 is an American solution based on the multi-mission EC145 rotary-wing aircraft, which has become the helicopter of choice for many U.S. hospitals and medical evacuation providers. These twin-engine aircraft are operating daily in the same challenging missions foreseen for the Army's Light Utility Helicopter, which will be assigned duties that include medical evacuation, passenger and logistics transportation, search and rescue, and homeland security operations.

About EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com)
EADS North America is the North American operations of EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense company in the world. As a leader in all sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its parent company, EADS, contribute over $6 billion to the U.S. economy annually and support more than 100,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers and services. With 10 operating companies located in 28 cities and 15 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.

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