— EADS Astrium

Successful first submarine launch of M51

Third success in a row for Astrium: This test, which was performed from the BLB’s submerged launch platform, enabled DGA and Astrium personnel to validate the M51’s entire underwater phase: shooting the missile from a launch tube on a device-launching nuclear submarine (SNLE), M51 ignition and surfacing from the water.

This success confirms that the missile is ready to be loaded on and launched from the SSBN, and paves the way for further test launches from the submarine “Le Terrible” before the M51 enters operational service in 2010.

François Auque, Chairman and CEO of Astrium, commented: “This success is a landmark that consolidates the progress of the M51 programme. It also confirms the competence of the Astrium teams and their ability to master highly complex technologies.”

Astrium is prime contractor for the development, production, and maintenance in operational condition of the M51 missile. G2P, Thales and Sagem are the main subcontractors in this programme, which occupies over a thousand engineers and technicians at Astrium.

Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2007, Astrium had a turnover of €3.5 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of €39.1 billion and employed a workforce of more than 116,000.

Media contacts: Matthieu Duvelleroy (Astrium FR)            Phone: +33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32

Jeremy Close (Astrium UK)                       Phone: +44 (0) 1 438 77 3872

Mathias Pikelj (Astrium GER)                    Phone: +49 (0) 7545 8 9123

Francisco Lechón (Astrium SP)                Phone: +34 91 586 37 41

www.astrium.eads.net

Astrium at the heart of European space defence and security programmes

: This years' French Defence Summer School was held in Toulouse on 10-11 September. The theme of the event was "New models for a new future", and the role of space was a central aspect of the discussions. The participants were given a tour of Astrium's Toulouse site to give them a first-hand appreciation of the exceptional range of expertise offered by Europe's leading space company ...

Toulouse, 10 September 2007 – With its European reach and unique range of capabilities, Astrium offers the industrial expertise to contribute to the complete range of European defence and security applications and respond to the specific requirements of the armed forces with tailor-made systems and services:

prime contractor for complete end-to-end military satellite communications and surveillance systems, ground segment and tactical terminals for land, sea and air;
pioneer of innovative tailored service provision solutions for national and international requirements in the fields of secure communications, geo-information and navigation;
first commercial owner/operator (via subsidiary Paradigm) of a military communications satellite system and provider of end-to-end secure satellite services;
crucial partner in the development of future space systems:
- Galileo
- GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security)
- UAV–satellite networks
guarantor of Europe’s independent access to space, prime contractor for the Ariane 5 launcher;
sole provider of ballistic missile systems in Europe and European leader in NATO’s missile defence studies.

Europe needs to be aware of and able to control all activity that takes place in its airspace and in theatres of operation where it is involved. Europe must therefore ensure that it is sufficiently equipped. While endo-atmospheric interception will help to master the skies, exo-atmospheric interception will help to control space. EADS has the necessary skills, technologies and international dimension to meet these challenges.

Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2006, Astrium had a turnover of €3.2 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are: the business units Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, and Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment, and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2006, EADS generated revenues of €39.4 billion and employed a workforce of more than 116, 000.

Press contacts:

ASTRIUM (FR) Rémi ROLAND +33 (0) 1 77 75 80 37

ASTRIUM (UK) Jeremy CLOSE +44 (0) 1438 77 3872

ASTRIUM (ALL) Mathias PIKELJ +49 (0) 7545 8 91 23

ASTRIUM (ES) Francisco LECHON +34 (0) 91 5 86 3741

http://www.astrium.eads.net

EADS SPACE is part of Team SAIC, which has just been selected for NATO contract

: Brussels, September 18, 2006 – EADS SPACE is proud to be a major contributor to TEAMSAIC, led by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), which has been selected by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to negotiate a firm fixed-price contract to support the integration of NATO’s Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) system. The programme defines a six-year period of activity with an estimated value of $95 million. EADS SPACE’s involvement is the latest step in a long-lasting and successful relationship with SAIC on NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defence Feasibility Studies since 2001.

As part of the System Engineering & Integration (SE&I) contract, EADS SPACE will be Systems Engineering lead and will support various other activities. It has proven experience drawn from some of Europe’s largest and most complex space programmes, including the Ariane 5 launcher, the Automated Transfer Vehicle for the International Space Station and a number of ballistic missile programmes.

"EADS SPACE will provide world-class experience in ballistic warfare and space-related capabilities including exo-atmospheric interception and sensor systems. EADS SPACE will also contribute its expertise in complex systems engineering to support SAIC and NATO in this new challenge," said Alain Charmeau, CEO of EADS SPACE’s launcher division. "As part of Team SAIC, EADS SPACE is committed to successfully integrating Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence assets with NATO command and control capabilities in an effective architecture solution."

EADS SPACE is one of Europe's foremost experts in the ballistic warfare domain, offering leading edge knowledge of ballistic missile defence and countermeasures. EADS SPACE offers sophisticated, high fidelity missile defence simulations to the NATO programme. Under the previous NATO Ballistic Missile Defence Feasibility Studies, EADS SPACE was responsible for the overall technical feasibility, threat analysis, sensor performance and sensitivity analysis.

The members of Team SAIC are drawn from six NATO nations including France, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy. Team members include: SAIC as prime contractor, EADS SPACE, Thales, Thales-Raytheon Systems Company SAS (TRS SAS), the Raytheon Company, Industrieanlagen-Betriebsgesellschaft GmbH (IABG), Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Co. KG , QinetiQ, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), and Datamat SpA.

SAIC is the largest employee-owned research and engineering company in the United States, with more than 43,000 employees in over 150 cities worldwide. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2006, the company reported annual revenues of $7.8 billion. SAIC engineers and scientists solve complex technical problems in national security, homeland security, energy, the environment, space, telecommunications, health care, and logistics. SAIC: FROM SCIENCE TO SOLUTIONS™

EADS SPACE, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space company), is dedicated to civil and defense space systems. In 2005, EADS SPACE had a turnover of €2.7 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. EADS SPACE has three main areas of activity: Launchers and orbital systems, Satellites and ground systems and Services providing civil and military satellite based services.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of €34.2 billion and employed a workforce of more than 113,000.

Contacts for the Media

EADS SPACE Rémi ROLAND +33 (0) 1 42 24 27 34

EADS SPACE Frédéric-Pierre ISOZ +33 (0) 1 42 24 28 77

http://www.space.eads.net

EADS SPACE Transportation to develop a ballistic missile demonstrator

: Les Mureaux, 27 July 2005 - EADS SPACE Transportation welcomes the recent decision of the French Ministry of Defence to launch a demonstrator programme for ballistic missile upper stages.

The demonstrator programme aims to design a future 3rd stage, which brings together leading edge technology guidance systems, structural materials and propulsion systems within a new architecture. It will also include testing and verification under real conditions enabling these leading technologies to be accurately assessed.

This demonstrator programme will also help maintain the high level of technical competencies required for the technological base of France's deterrent forces as well as the ballistic missiles and space launchers sectors, where EADS SPACE Transportation is henceforth prime contractor - in close collaboration with its partners, particularly SNECMA-SNPE - THALES - SAGEM.

In order to meet the challenge faced by France and Europe to preserve its ballistic and space launcher capabilities developed over 30 years, this decision by the Defence sector should be matched by equivalent support in the civil space sector, necessary to guarantee Europe's independent access to space. Space agencies and governments are expected to announce their plans for demonstrator programmes for the coming 3-4 years in the next few months.

EADS SPACE Transportation is the European specialist for access to space and manned space activities. It develops and produces Ariane launchers, the Columbus laboratory and the ATV cargo carrier for the International Space Station, atmospheric re-entry vehicles, missile systems for France's deterrent force, propulsion systems and space equipment. EADS SPACE Transportation is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE, which is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems. In 2004, EADS SPACE had a turnover of €2.6 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of €31.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 110,000.

Contact: +33 (0)1 39 06 14 50

M-51

A new generation of missiles: © EADS Astrium / Bechenec

The M-5 is the new generation of French strategic submarine-launched ballistic missiles, designed to keep pace with changing threats and defences, to be operational at the end of the decade. As for all the ballistic missile systems in France nuclear deterrence force, Astrium is prime contractor for their development, production, deployment and maintenance.

On 27 November 2003, off the French Mediterranean coast near Toulon, after many weeks of rigorous preparation, the first real-size, fully equipped mock-up of the M-51 missile was ejected from the Cetacé underwater rig, an apparatus which replicates a submarine storage and launch tube. The 10-metre long, 52-tonne mock-up performed perfectly, projected out of the water at a speed of around 20 m/s to a height of about 20 metres and then falling back into the sea; deploying its airbag system to cushion impact on re-entry. The reusable mock-up was then recovered and brought ashore for processing and analysis of the 400-odd measurements recorded during the test.

Designed for the hunt

The M-51 is significantly different to the M-45, its currently operational predecessor, in terms of shape, size, weight and even its interface with the submarine launch tubes. It will feature multiple warheads, with far greater payload mass and volume (including warheads and penetration aids). It also offers longer range than the M-4, enabling submarines to expand their patrol zones. Weighing a total of 50 tonnes (compared to 35 for the M-4 missiles), each of its three stages is powered by a solid rocket motor equipped with a flex-bearing nozzle. The structures are made of wound carbon-epoxy fibre.

M-45

Permanently ready to keep the peace: © EADS Astrium

The M-4 generation of ballistic missiles, developed and produced by Astrium for the ballistic missile systems in France’s nuclear deterrent force, features multiple warheads and a range of more than 4,000 kilometres. They were incrementally deployed on the first-generation of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SNLEs) from 1985, taking over from the previous M-20 missiles.

Astrium also developed an enhanced version, the M-45, with higher-performance TN75 nuclear warheads (stealthier and with penetration aids). The M-45 entered service aboard Le Triomphant in spring 1997.

M-4/M-45 through-life support: Astrium's role

As prime contractor for the ballistic missile systems of the French Ministry of Defence armaments procurement agency DGA, Astrium is also responsible for the development and manufacture of the weapon systems and weapon deployment systems, covering analysis of technical events occurring in service at the maritime base and onboard SNLEs, system design support and examination of engineering changes, user technical assistance, preparation and analysis of missile launch acceptance.

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