Ball Aerospace Selected for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Distinguished Supplier Award
November 20 2003 - 3:33PM
PR Newswire (US)
Ball Aerospace Selected for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Distinguished
Supplier Award BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed
Martin named Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. its Joint
Strike Fighter Mission Systems Distinguished Supplier in
recognition of outstanding performance related to the
Communication, Navigation and Identification (CNI) integrated body
aperture suite for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Presented
Nov. 11 by Major General John Hudson and Lockheed Martin Sr. Vice
President and JSF Program Manager Tom Burbage, Ball Aerospace was
recognized as the JSF Mission Systems supplier of the year based on
its creative and innovative solutions to complex technical
problems, and exceptional prototype development; as well as its
strong standing with team partners' rating systems. "Ball Aerospace
is very proactive," said Lockheed Martin Mission Systems Director
David Larson. "They are a model for other contractors." The F-35
JSF program comprises development of a family of affordable and
stealthy tactical aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine
Corps, the U.K. Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, and allies
worldwide. Ball Aerospace is providing antenna configurations for
the three F-35 variants operating at UHF SATCOM and LOS, L-band,
S-band and C-band. "It's very exciting to be selected from among
approximately 100 different suppliers, and to be considered a
supplier benchmark for re-engineering processes that improve
affordability and cycle time," said Ball Aerospace JSF Sr. Program
Manager Don Figgins. "It's important to us to not just solve
aperture issues, but to also help Lockheed Martin solve JSF system
problems." Ball Aerospace provides antenna solutions for
communications, navigation, identification, telemetry, tracking and
command destruct, radar and electronic warfare and is an
internationally recognized developer and manufacturer of advanced
antennas and Radio Frequency (RF) communication subsystems ranging
from spacecraft, aviation platforms, missiles and ground vehicles
to portable systems, communications structures, and maritime
platforms (ships, small craft, and submarines). Ball Aerospace
conducts domestic and international business in the defense, civil
and commercial space arenas, providing best value and innovative
solutions. The company supports national policy-makers, the
military services, NASA and other U.S. Government agencies, as well
as numerous aerospace industry companies. Ball Corporation is one
of the world's leading suppliers of metal and plastic packaging to
the beverage and food industries. The company also owns Ball
Aerospace & Technologies Corp. With the addition of Ball
Packaging Europe, acquired in December 2002, Ball expects to report
2003 sales of approximately $4.9 billion, with $4.4 billion from
packaging and $500 million from aerospace. Forward-Looking
Statements The information in this news release contains
"forward-looking" statements. Actual results or outcomes may differ
materially from those expressed or implied. As time passes, the
relevance and accuracy of forward-looking statements contained in
this release may change. The company currently does not intend to
update any particular forward-looking statement except as it deems
necessary at quarterly or annual release of earnings. Please refer
to the Form 10-Q filed by Ball Corporation on November 10, 2003,
for a summary of key risk factors that could affect actual results
or outcomes. Factors that might affect the packaging segments of
the company are: fluctuation in consumer and customer demand;
competitive packaging material availability, pricing and
substitution; the weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing yields;
company and industry productive capacity and competitive activity;
lack of productivity improvement or production cost reductions;
regulatory action or laws, including the German mandatory deposit
or other restrictive packaging laws and environmental and workplace
safety regulations; availability and cost of raw materials, energy
and transportation; the ability or inability to pass on to
customers changes in these costs, particularly resin, steel and
aluminum; pricing and ability or inability to sell scrap;
international business risks (including foreign exchange rates and
tax rates) particularly in the United States, Europe and in
developing countries such as China and Brazil; and the effect of
LIFO accounting on earnings. Factors that may affect the aerospace
segment are: funding, authorization and availability of government
contracts and the nature and continuation of those contracts; and
technical uncertainty associated with aerospace segment contracts.
Factors that could affect the company as a whole include those
listed plus: successful and unsuccessful acquisitions, joint
ventures or divestitures and the integration activities associated
therewith including the integration and operation of the business
of Schmalbach-Lubeca AG, now known as Ball Packaging Europe; the
inability to purchase the company's common stock; insufficient or
reduced cash flow; regulatory action or laws including those
related to corporate governance and financial reporting,
regulations and standards; actual and estimated business
consolidation and investment costs and the net realizable value of
assets associated with these activities; goodwill impairment;
changes in generally accepted accounting principles or their
interpretation; litigation; antitrust, intellectual property,
consumer and other issues; strikes; boycotts; increases in various
employee benefits and labor costs, specifically pension, medical
and health care costs incurred in the countries in which Ball has
operations; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the
company's defined benefit retirement plans; interest rates and
level of company debt, including floating rate debt; terrorist
activities, war or catastrophic events that disrupt or impact
production, supply or pricing of the company's goods and services,
including raw materials and energy costs, or disrupt or impact the
credit and financing of the company's businesses; and U.S. and
foreign economic conditions. DATASOURCE: Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp. CONTACT: Jennifer Meyer, +1-303-533-7155, or
Rachelle Wood, +1-303-939-6606, both of Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corp.,
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