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Spain acquires Taurus KEPD 350

* EADS to deliver air-to-ground missile systems for F/A-18 and Eurofighter
* Spain is first export customer for Taurus

Unterschleissheim, 28 June 2005

On 24 June 2005, the Spanish government gave its approval for procurement of the Taurus KEPD 350 standoff guided missile system. With the decision by the Spanish Council of Ministers, the Spanish Air Force was authorized to conclude a procurement contract covering 43 operational Taurus KEPD 350 missiles, including mission planning, logistic equipment and integration on the EF-18 aircraft. TAURUS Systems GmbH, a joint venture between EADS/LFKLenkflugkörpersysteme (67%) and SAAB Bofors Dynamics (33%), welcomes the Spanish government's decision to acquire this air-to-ground missile system for its F/A-18 and Eurofighter aircraft.

Dr. Wolfgang Blaschke, Managing Director of TAURUS Systems GmbH, commented on this, saying: "We are pleased to have won Spain as the first export customer for Taurus KEPD 350 and are proud to have earned the Spanish government's trust with this cost-effective and technologically convincing product. Through integration onto the Spanish fighter aircraft, further opportunities are opened up for us to export the system to other F/A- 18 user nations such as Finland and Canada. In addition, Spain will thus become Germany's partner in the task of integrating the Taurus KEPD 350 onto Eurofighter." The Taurus KEPD 350 guided missile system is planned as armament for the German Tornados and later Eurofighter in its air-to-ground role. The system enables the precise engagement of high-value, stationary military point targets, thus enabling air forces to combat heavily defended targets without exposing their aircraft and crews to enemy air defences.

TAURUS Systems GmbH was founded for the development, production and global marketing of the Taurus precision standoff guided missile system with registered offices in Schrobenhausen. The Business Unit EADS/LFK develops and manufactures guided missile systems and is an integrated part of the EADS Defence & Security Systems Division (DS).

EADS Defence and Security Systems, with revenues of about € 5.4 billion in 2004 and roughly 24,000 employees across ten nations, forms the defence pole within EADS. It offers integrated systems solutions to the new challenges confronting armed forces and homeland security units. It is active in the areas of military aircraft, missile systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems with manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), battlefield management systems, defence electronics, sensors and avionics, and related services. 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 about 110,000.

Your contact
Wolfram Lautner
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 3179 2549
mailto: wolfram.lautner@eads.com