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UAE To Get First Local Gun Manufacturer By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ABU DHABI An Abu Dhabi-based company announced Feb. 27 it was setting up a small-arms manufacturing facility with international assistance, the first such plant in the United Arab Emirates. The International Golden Group said it would invest 500 million dirhams ($136 million) in the first phase and expand the investment by up to two billion dirhams ($544 million) in the third phase. ???The company will supply small pistols of 9mm and 12.7mm in the first phase to the UAE armed forces under a contract,??? IGG vice chairman Fadil Saif al-Kaabi told reporters. ???There are plans to manufacture medium-sized pistols and bigger pistols in the second and third phases,??? he said. Technical support will be provided by South Africa, Finland and Bulgaria, Kaabi said, without giving further details. ???This is the first such manufacturing facility in the UAE. We plan to export to (other) Gulf countries at a later stage,??? he said. Georgian Soldiers Head to Iraq By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, TBILISI The first of Georgia??™s 550 troops whose deployment will nearly triple the Caucasus nation??™s tiny contingent in Iraq left March 1 for the war-torn country. ???I order you to all return safe and sound,??? armed forces chief Levan Nikoleishvili said at a send-off ceremony outside of Tbilisi. The troops are due to be posted in Baghdad, where they will ensure security at a military base of the U.S.-led coalition forces in the Iraqi capital. Georgia said in the beginning of the year that it would boost its 300-strong troop presence in Iraq, but the U.S., which was in charge of transporting the soldiers, had delayed the planned January deployment for technical reasons. Georgia, a close ally of the United States since U.S.-educated Mikhail Saakashvili was inaugurated president in January 2003, sent its first 70 soldiers to Iraq in August of that year and has steadily increased its military presence ever since. The 300 soldiers currently in Iraq are posted in the city of Baaquba, northeast of Baghdad. United Defense Receives Two Bradley Contracts Totaling $68 Million By Herb Muktarian, United Defense, herb.muktarian@udlp.com YORK, PA, February 14, 2005 - United Defense Industries, Inc. (NYSE: UDI) has received two separate contracts for the Bradley program; a change order not to exceed $54 million and a contract modification for $14.2 million. Change order. The change order, not-to-exceed $54 million, from the U.S. Army??™s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) is a contract to provide 120 Bradley A3 vehicles instead of 131 Bradley Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) variants awarded in June. The change order calls for 120 vehicles to be equipped with all the features of the A3 configuration with the exception of the Commander??™s Independent Viewer, and is initially funded at $27 million. The A3, is a technologically advanced, digital combat system that significantly increases the Bradley's lethality and survivability in battle. Under the order, United Defense will provide 80 Bradley M2A3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles, 29 Bradley M3A3 Cavalry Fighting Vehicles and 11 Bradley A3 Fire Support Vehicles (A3 B-FIST) to the Army. Work on the contract will be done at United Defense facilities in Aiken, SC and York and Fayette County, PA. Vehicle delivery is scheduled to begin in mid 2006. Contract modification. The second contract is a $14.2 million modification, initially funded at $7.1 million, from TACOM to convert Bradley air defense variants to an infantry fighting vehicle configuration. Under the contract modification, United Defense will remove the Stinger air defense equipment from 88 Bradleys and convert the vehicles to standard M2A2 ODS infantry fighting vehicles. This effort runs through June 2006. Work will be completed at United Defense facilities in York, PA, Santa Clara, CA and Aiken, SC. The Bradley has played a centerpiece role in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and in the ongoing Global War on Terror is still providing outstanding survivability, mobility and lethality to our soldiers in all types of close combat urban scenarios or in open combat desert warfare. United Defense, Battelle Demonstrate Prototype Fuel Cell Power Unit for Bradley Fighting Vehicle By Herb Muktarian, United Defense, herb.muktarian@udlp.com FT. LAUDERDALE, FL, February 16, 2005 - Battelle and United Defense Industries, Inc. (NYSE: UDI), have teamed to develop and demonstrate a prototype fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle that is designed to increase fuel efficiency and reduce logistics burden for the U.S. Army. The system is designed to provide sufficient power to operate the vehicle??™s electronics indefinitely without engaging the main engine. This fuel cell technology was developed at Battelle's laboratories in Columbus, Ohio and Richland, Washington, with funding support from the U.S. Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) and its National Automotive Center, The system was integrated into a Bradley Fighting Vehicle by United Defense at its Ground Systems Division facility in Santa Clara, Calif. Both organizations are displaying this technology at the Association of the U.S. Army's Winter Symposium here today through February 18 at the Broward County Convention Center. Enhancing fuel efficiency while maintaining effectiveness will further enhance the combat effectiveness of the battle-proven Bradley, a key vehicle system for the Army in intense urban combat and rural scenarios. A large percentage of the tonnage in a military deployment is fuel. Increasing fuel efficiency can enhance military responsiveness by easing the logistic burden. "By combining the strengths and scientific know-how of our two teams, we hope to provide the U.S. military and the troops in the field with an advanced technical solution to a very real problem," said Steve Kelly, Senior Vice President of Battelle's National Security Division. "Fuel cell technology offers a silent, clean, state-of-the-art enhancement for current force vehicles such as the Bradley," said Andy Hove, United Defense's Director of Bradley Combat systems. "Integration of Battelle's three-kilowatt fuel cell will not only give Bradley crews a silent watch capability, it will also reduce the stress on the main engine, lower the overall fuel consumption and reduce the heat level in and around the vehicle." About Battelle Battelle is a global leader in science and technology. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, it develops and commercializes technology and manages laboratories for customers. Battelle, with the national labs that it manages or co-manages, oversees 16,000 staff members and conducts $3 billion in annual research and development. Battelle innovations include the development of the office copier machine (Xerox), pioneering work on compact disc technology, medical technology advancements and fiber optic technologies. For more information, visit http://www.battelle.org or contact National Media Relations Manager Katy Delaney at (410) 306-8638 or at delaneyk@battelle.org United Defense to be Acquired by BAE Systems By Jayne Schmitt, Investor Relations, United Defense, jayne.schmitt@udlp.com ARLINGTON, VA, March 7, 2005 - United Defense Industries, Inc. (NYSE: UDI) announced today that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with BAE Systems North America Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc. BAE Systems will acquire all of the outstanding shares of United Defense for $75.00 per share in cash. With the assumption of United Defense??™s $217.7 million of net debt (as of December 31, 2004), the value of the transaction would be approximately $4.2 billion. The closing of the transaction is subject to certain terms and conditions customary for transactions of this type, including receipt of stockholder approval and necessary regulatory approvals and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2005. United Defense was advised by Lehman Brothers and JP Morgan, each of which rendered a fairness opinion to the United Defense Board of Directors, and its legal advisor was Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Goldman Sachs International and Gleacher Shacklock LLP advised BAE Systems and Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP was its legal advisor. About United Defense Industries United Defense designs, develops and produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile launchers and precision munitions used by the U.S. Department of Defense and allies worldwide, and provides non-nuclear ship repair, modernization and conversion to the U.S. Navy and other U.S. Government agencies. To learn more about United Defense, visit http://www.uniteddefense.com. Additional Information About the Merger and Where to Find It United Defense intends to file a proxy statement and other relevant materials with the SEC in connection with the proposed acquisition of United Defense by BAE Systems. The proxy statement will be mailed to the stockholders of United Defense. Stockholders of United Defense and investors are urged to read the proxy statement and other relevant materials when they become available because they will contain important information about BAE Systems, United Defense and the proposed merger that the stockholders should consider before making a decision about the merger. The proxy statement and other relevant materials (when they become available), and any other documents filed with the SEC by United Defense, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov. United Defense, and its directors and officers, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. Information regarding United Defense??™s directors and officers and their ownership of United Defense common stock is contained in the proxy statement for United Defense's 2004 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 10, 2004. Investors and stockholders may obtain additional information regarding the direct and indirect interests of United Defense and its directors and officers in the merger by reading the proxy statement regarding the merger when it becomes available. About BAE Systems BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea and in space. BAE Systems North America is one of America's foremost national security, aerospace and information systems companies. It is a leading provider of electronic and information-based systems and knowledge-based solutions that meet its customers' mission effectiveness and operational safety needs. BAE Systems North America employs more than 30,000 people at sites across the United States and the United Kingdom and generates more than $5 billion in annual sales. Israeli Firm Wins U.S. Weapons Contract in Iraq By REUTERS Israeli company Plasan Sasa has won a contract to provide armor for U.S. military vehicles in Iraq, company sources said March 8. Under the terms of the contract, the Sasa kibbutz company in the northern Galilee region will provide amour for 2,000 trucks and other vehicles. It will supply kits that can be assembled on site by U.S. troops serving in Iraq. Aside from the Israeli and U.S. armies, Palsen Sasa also supplies the British, Dutch and Indian militaries. The U.S. military has recently suffered criticism that its vehicles operating in Iraq are insufficiently protected with amour plating. |
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