BLL Ball Corp

BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has been selected as a subcontractor to L-3 Communications to integrate new and existing telemetry technology into an Advanced Airborne Telemetry System (AATS) for the next-generation NP-3C instrumented range support aircraft. Under the U.S. Navy's Next-Generation Range Support Aircraft (NGRSA) contract, Ball Aerospace will design, build, and integrate the AATS phased array, consisting of 29 antenna panels and 10 passive combiners. The proven Ball Aerospace modular design simplifies fabrication, installation, maintenance and control of the array. "This advanced approach to phased array technologies is a result of more than two decades of development," said Drew Crouch, vice president and general manager for Ball's Advanced Technologies & Products business unit. "Our goal is to supply the U.S. Military and other users with operational systems of the highest caliber with best performance value." As part of the contract, the P-3 aircraft will be modified and upgraded, including designing, developing, documenting, installing, integrating, and testing to verify the integration of the aircraft modifications and range instrumentation. The first NGRSA aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2010. Ball Aerospace's portion of the U.S. Navy contract is valued at approximately $10M for the first aircraft. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions of important national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. Over the past 50 years, Ball Aerospace has been responsible for numerous technological and scientific 'firsts' and acts as a technology innovator for the aerospace market. Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products for beverage, food and household customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 15,500 people worldwide and reported 2006 sales of $6.6 billion. L-3 Integrated Systems (L-3 IS) develops and integrates defense and commercial technology for U.S. and allied customers worldwide. Headquartered in Greenville, Texas, L-3 IS has more than five decades of experience in the development of complex intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; command and control; and secure communications. It is recognized internationally as a systems integration organization specializing in the modernization and maintenance of aircraft of all sizes. It is a leader in advanced technologies for signal processing, electronic countermeasures, sensor development and aircraft self-protection. Systems provided or maintained by L-3 IS help protect military and civilian personnel, bases, assets and national borders throughout the world. Headquartered in New York City, L-3 Communications employs over 63,000 people worldwide and is a prime system contractor in aircraft modernization and maintenance, C3ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) systems and government services. L-3 is also a leading provider of high technology products, subsystems and systems. The company reported 2006 sales of $12.5 billion. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at http://www.sec.gov/. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials, including recent significant increases in resin, steel, aluminum and energy costs, and the ability to pass such increases on to customers; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including our beverage can end project; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental and workplace safety; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects. DATASOURCE: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. CONTACT: Roz Brown of Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., +1-303-533-6059, Web site: http://www.ballaerospace.com/

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