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Boeing and Ball Aerospace to Design, Market Satellite-Based Laser
Communications

St. LOUIS, April 7, 2003 -Boeing [NYSE:BA] officials today announced
a teaming agreement with Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. to
develop laser communications technologies that will improve the
efficiency of satellite communications by a factor of ten or more.

The team combines the strengths of Boeing, a leader in communications
systems for commercial and government markets, and Ball Aerospace, a
leader in remote sensing, acquisition, and pointing and tracking.
Under the terms of the agreement, Boeing and Ball Aerospace will
jointly market laser communications technology as merchant suppliers
to the U.S. government and its suppliers.

"As the need continues to grow for the rapid transmission of
increasingly larger amounts of information, satellite-based laser
communications is vital," said Dr. Roger Roberts, senior vice
president of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems (S&IS), Boeing's
center for intelligence programs. "Our customers are moving to a
network-centric environment, where platforms and systems become nodes
on a super network. Near-immediate access to information on this
network is critical, and laser communication technologies are capable
of addressing that need." 

"Ball Aerospace's joint effort with Boeing in laser communications
combines the unique strengths of both companies to offer the lowest
risk and best value solution to the many emerging applications
requiring high bandwidth communications," said Mike Cerneck, vice
president and general manager of Ball Aerospace's Defense Operations.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. provides remote sensing systems
and solutions to the aerospace and defense markets. It is a
subsidiary of Ball Corporation (NYSE BLL), which in addition to
owning Ball Aerospace, is one of the leading suppliers of metal and
plastic packaging to the beverage and food industries. Ball Aerospace
had sales in 2002 of $491 million. 

S&IS is a leader in large-scale systems integration, Intelligence,
Surveillance and Reconnaissance, or ISR, systems, communication
systems, network systems, and protection and security systems. ISR
systems provide critical information that support the integrated
battlespace, a networked communications system that supports
battlefield decision-making by collecting, assimilating, visualizing,
and distributing real-time data to those who make life-and-death
decisions to protect the peace and defend a nation.

Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems is a unit of Boeing Integrated
Defense Systems, one of the world's largest space and defense
businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Integrated Defense Systems is
a $25 billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global
military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading
provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the
world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest
satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based
communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile
defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in satellite
launch services. 

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Boeing Media Contacts:
Diana Ball
S&IS
562-797-5863 office
562-243-8269 cellular
diana.ball{at}boeing.com

Madonna Walsh
Boeing News Bureau3
14-234-1362 office
314-705-0717 cellular
madonna.a.walsh{at}boeing.com

Ball Media Contact:
Jennifer Meyer
303-533-7155
jjmeyer{at}ball.com

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