EADS North America's Armed Scout 645 Highlighted at This Year's Association of the U.S. Army's Annual Meeting

ARLINGTON, VA, Oct 05 (MARKET WIRE) --
EADS North America's Armed Scout 645 will be the centerpiece of the
company's presence Oct. 5-7 at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual
convention -- underscoring the helicopter's readiness as a low-risk,
highly capable and best-value solution to fulfill the Army's current and
long-term Armed Aerial Scout mission requirements.

This next-generation helicopter offering would strengthen U.S. Army
capabilities in performing combat missions for both current and future
conflicts while also meeting the demanding combat environments encountered
at higher elevations and hotter temperatures.

A full-scale flying Armed Scout 645 demonstrator helicopter will be
displayed prominently at EADS North America's exhibit (booth # 3131) at
the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. The aircraft can be equipped with
a full combat mission package including an EO/IR sensor, VUIT-2 (Unmanned
Aircraft Systems for Interoperability Teaming - Level 2), 2.75" rockets,
Hellfire missiles, a 7-shot rocket pod and a .50 caliber machine gun.

The Armed Scout 645 demonstrator to be showcased at the AUSA annual
meeting is the same helicopter that performed a series of successful
"high/hot" flight tests in Alamosa, Colo. earlier this year. These
flights validated the Armed Scout 645's ability to meet all of the U.S.
Army's previously-stated armed aerial scout performance requirements --
even in the most challenging combat environments.

During these flight trials, the Armed Scout 645 demonstrator helicopter --
operating from a takeoff elevation of more than 7,500 feet, equipped with
a simulated 2,300-pound Mission Equipment Package -- successfully
hovered-out-of-ground-effect at a density altitude of 6,000 feet and 95
degrees Fahrenheit. This is a key requirement included in the Army's
Sources Sought document issued in October 2008.

EADS North America's Armed Scout 645 is based on the same airframe as the
highly successful UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter it is currently
delivering to the U.S. Army. The world-class industry team assembled by
EADS North America for the Armed Scout 645 includes Lockheed Martin as the
Mission Equipment Package integrator, and American Eurocopter -- which
will build the aircraft at its Columbus, Miss., facility where Lakotas are
currently manufactured.

The Armed Scout 645's modern design and modular weapons systems
architecture ensures low lifecycle costs, maintainability and maximum
operational reliability -- resulting in high operational readiness rates
to meet changing Army mission requirements over time.

The Armed Scout 645's small footprint allows an entire platoon to be
transported by C-17 aircraft with minimal reconfiguration upon arrival in
the operating area, while its large, unobstructed main cabin can be
quickly reconfigured for maximum mission flexibility.

About EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com)

EADS North America is the North American operation of EADS, a global
leader in aerospace, defense and related services. As a leader in all
sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its
parent company, EADS, contribute over $11 billion to the U.S. economy
annually and support more than 200,000 American jobs through its network
of suppliers and services. Operating in 17 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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