26 February 2003

Southampton, UK - Hamble Structures, a part of Smiths Aerospace, has been selected by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to supply the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter integrated canopy frame assembly. The contract is potentially valued in excess of $90 million over the life of the programme. Delivery of the first canopy frame assembly is planned for early 2004, with Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) commencing in 2006 followed by full-rate production of the aircraft beginning in 2012 continuing through until 2026, and will be manufactured at Hamble Structures, located in Southampton, England.

"Smiths builds on Hamble's solid reputation as a supplier of complete canopy systems for the military aircraft market," comments Dr. John Ferrie, Smiths Aerospace Group Managing Director. "Hamble Structures will draw on their expertise in both precision machining and manufacturing in non-metallic materials and will play a key role in the JSF programme.

This extends the range of contracts on the F-35 JSF that Smiths have already secured and are expected to bring in new business valued in excess of $10 billion over the lifetime of the aircraft.

Key F-35 JSF systems from Smiths now include:

• integrated canopy frame assembly (Hamble, Southampton UK)

• electrical power management (Cheltenham UK)

• weapons control and data electronics (Michigan, Maryland and Florida)

• actuation systems and components included in the engine structure and other parts of the airplane (New Jersey, Indiana, Washington and Wolverhampton UK)