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Aerojet and Pratt & Whitney Achieve Three SLI Milestones, Move Closer to COBRA Engine Prototype.

Contact:
Aerojet -- Mike Finkle
916-355-5599
michael.finkle@aerojet.com

Pratt & Whitney -- Patrick Louden
561-796-6793
loudenpt@pwfl.com

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., and SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 20, 2002 – The joint venture team of Pratt & Whitney and Aerojet has achieved three major milestones in development of the COBRA reusable booster/second-stage engine for NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI):

* Prototype engine preliminary design review
* Subscale preburner testing
* Fabrication and proof testing of subscale milled channel wall nozzle

"These milestones are the building blocks to full-scale COBRA prototype engine development, and they support powerhead testing planned to begin next year. We are continuing to make great progress in meeting our SLI goals," said Rick Bachtel, director of the joint venture, called Pratt & Whitney-Aerojet Propulsion Associates.

COBRA (Co-Optimized Booster for Reusable Applications) is a reusable, hydrogen-fueled liquid booster/second-stage engine in the 600,000-pound thrust class.

Prototype engine preliminary design review:

Last month at Pratt & Whitney’s West Palm Beach Facility, the team presented its prototype COBRA engine configuration, which addresses the SLI goals of improved safety, reliability, cost and operability. The COBRA engine uses a single, fuel-rich preburner, staged combustion cycle that incorporates proven state-of-the-art technology.

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Page 2 (COBRA milestones)

Subscale preburner testing:

Last week, Aerojet successfully completed testing the first of three subscale preburners at its Sacramento facility. The tests are a major step towards demonstrating combustion stability of the preburner, which is an enabling technology for the COBRA cycle.

"We are very encouraged by the preburner test results, which exceeded our predictions," said Jim Long, deputy director of Pratt & Whitney-Aerojet Propulsion Associates.

The joint venture plans to test two preburner alternate designs by the end of May. Full-scale preburner testing will follow next year at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss.

Fabrication and proof testing of subscale milled channel wall nozzle:

The joint venture has completed fabricating and proof testing of an approximately 40 percent scale, milled channel wall nozzle for the COBRA engine. "We validated many of the manufacturing processes by structurally testing this nozzle at pressures up to four times higher than normal operation. It is proving to be a very robust design," said Long.

The channel wall nozzle has a part count of 10, dramatically lower than the part count of 1,000 for a typical tube nozzle, which supports NASA's increased safety and cost reduction goals.

"The completion of this fabrication development is a significant step in the development of a full-scale nozzle for the COBRA engine. The nozzle will dramatically improve safety and reliability while reducing traditional nozzle fabrication time from four years to one year with corresponding cost improvements," added Bachtel.

Pratt & Whitney-Aerojet Propulsion Associates formed in March 2000 to support NASA's second-generation reusable launch vehicle, a Space Shuttle replacement. The team is developing COBRA and a hydrogen-fueled, expander cycle engine called RLX.

Pratt & Whitney brings to the team its experience in turbomachinery as supplier of the Space Shuttle Main Engine turbopumps, as well as experience in both rocket and jet engine reliability and health management. Aerojet brings to the team its innovative combustion devices. The COBRA engine provides a 100-mission life span with a 50-mission before overhaul interval.

Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, and defense and armaments markets. Aerojet's web site address is http://www.aerojet.com.

Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion, a leader in the propulsion industry, includes liquid, solid and hypersonic propulsion. It has facilities located at West Palm Beach, Fla.; San Jose, Calif.; and Huntsville, Ala. Pratt & Whitney's web site address is http://www.pw.utc.com. Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies company (NYSE: UTX), is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines.

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