Meggitt Safety Systems Wins Airbus A400M Fire Detection System Contract

March 15, 2005

Meggitt Safety Systems, a unit of Meggitt Aerospace Equipment Group, has been awarded the contract from EADS CASA -- an industrial partner of prime contractor Airbus Military -- to design, develop, manufacture and support the fire detection system on the A400M military transport aircraft.

The A400M fire detection system comprises the control computer and fire detectors for the engines, main landing gear and auxiliary power unit, and is an evolution of Meggitt's Airbus A380 fire detection system. It utilizes state-of-the-art electronics married to proven fire detector technology providing optimum performance, reliability and low risk. The lifetime value of the program to Meggitt is estimated to exceed $50 million.

Meggitt Safety Systems' European Marketing Director, Timothy Figg, said:

"This award further strengthens Meggitt's position as a leading supplier of safety-critical equipment for extreme environments as well as providing low cost of ownership for our customers."

At launch, the A400M program received an initial 180 firm aircraft orders from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom while the program is expected to yield total orders of around 400 aircraft worldwide. The A400M's first flight is due in 2008, after which production is estimated at 30 years and to be in service for 50 years.

ENDS

EUROPE
Tim Figg, Meggitt European Director
Office: +44 1234 210115
Mobile: +44 7712 880429
timothy.figg@meggitt.com

US
Phil Myers
Telephone: (001) 661 288 0084
Fax: (001) 661 288 0304
Mobile: (001) 310 422 6292
phil34@earthlink.net