Textron Defense Systems Awarded $5.6 M DoE Contract to Produce Fine Weave Pierced™ Fabric Carbon Carbon Billets for Use by NASA

Wilmington, MA – February 23, 2007 - Textron Defense Systems, an operating unit of Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, announced that it has been awarded a $5.6 million contract by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), the operator of the U.S. Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory, for the delivery of Fine Weave Pierced™ Fabric (FWPF™) billets for use by NASA. The contract, awarded on January 5, 2006, provides for the restart of fabrication and qualification of FWPFä billets, as well as the subsequent delivery of eighteen 3-D carbon carbon FWPF™ billets for DOE production use over the next three years.

Eight previously manufactured FWPF™ billets were used to build the General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) Modules found on board the New Horizons Pluto Flyby Mission that launched in January 19, 2006. The mission is expected to reach Pluto in about nine and one-half years. According to Dr. Daniel Swallom, Textron Defense Systems’ FWPF™ program manager, “This mission would not be possible without the use of the Department of Energy produced radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) power system. The FWPF™ billets are used to fabricate the protective aeroshell for RTG power system modules. The RTG provides the electrical power necessary for a spacecraft to operate during this long duration mission and at this great distance from the sun.”

The FWPF™ material was initially developed by Textron Defense Systems for use as the nosetip for operational Air Force MK12/12A and MK21 reentry vehicles, which are flown on the Minuteman III and Peacekeeper Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Systems, and has also been flown successfully on many Air Force (ICBM) program test flights. The New Horizons Pluto Flyby Spacecraft and the Cassini-Huygen Spacecraft (mission to Saturn and Titan) are just two of today’s NASA vehicles that use the Textron Defense Systems FWPF™ heat ablative material. Developed in the 1970s, the Fine Weave Pierced™ Fabric (FWPF™) was part of the extensive research done by the company, then known as Avco, that led to breakthrough technologies, including work on missile reentry vehicles and heat shields for the NASA Mercury and Apollo command modules.

About Textron Systems
Textron Systems Corporation (“Textron Systems”) provides innovative technology solutions to meet the needs of the defense, homeland security and aerospace communities. The company is known for its precision smart weapons, surveillance systems, complex intelligence and communications systems, aircraft control systems, piston engines, specialty marine craft and armored vehicles. Textron Systems is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avco Corporation. Avco Corporation is wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available at www.textronsystems.com.

Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.