Ball to Announce First Quarter Earnings on April 29

Defense News: BROOMFIELD, Colo., March 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL - News) will announce its first quarter 2010 earnings on Thursday, April 29, 2010, before trading begins on the New York Stock Exchange. At 9 a.m. Mountain Time on that day (11 a.m. Eastern), Ball will hold its regular quarterly conference call on the company's results and performance.

The North American toll-free number for the call is 800-732-5617. International callers should dial 212-231-2901. Please use the following URL for a Web cast of the live call:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c=115234&eventID=2976701.

For those unable to listen to the live call, a taped replay will be available after the call's conclusion until 1 p.m. Eastern Time on May 6, 2010. To access the replay, call 800-633-8284 (North American callers) or 402-977-9140 (international callers) and use reservation number 21463971.

A written transcript of the call will be posted within 48 hours of the call's conclusion to Ball's Web site atwww.ball.com in the investors section under "presentations."

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,000 people worldwide and reported 2009 sales of more than $7.3 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit www.ball.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the current global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of climate change, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

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McQ Inc. Celebrates 25 Years of Pushing Technology to the Limits of Innovation

McQ Receives Research and Development Contracts and Delivers Production Surveillance Systems for U.S. Government Applications

Defense News: FREDERICKSBURG, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--McQ Inc.:

1. U.S. Army SBIR Phase II Contract for Acoustic Detection and Verification of Intrusions Against Military Facilities.
   
   McQ was awarded a Phase II SBIR contract to produce a prototype sensor system to uniquely identify when people attempt to make unauthorized entry into military facilities. The prototype system will discriminate people from other target types and provide an alert to Army security forces. This prototype will be delivered later this year.
2. Three U.S. Army Phase I SBIR Contracts have recently been awarded to McQ.
   
   One contract is to develop technology that will precisely locate the impact point of munitions including those that fail to detonate. A second one is to develop technology for a small battery powered personnel and vehicle detection radar integrated with Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS). A third contract is to develop UGS systems that locate tunnels and provide information to locate activity in the tunnel. These three SBIRs will be completed this year.
3. DARPA SBIR Phase I Contract for Integrating UGS with Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs).
   
   McQ has been awarded a contract to use UGS on the ground to identify targets of interest and connect the target to a UAV imager for maintaining contact with the target. McQ will demonstrate the technology in this Phase I effort.
4. U.S. Navy SBIR Phase I Contract to Monitor and Record Shipboard Shock and Vibration.
   
   McQ is performing a development effort for a long life system to measure and record the shock and vibration incurred by shipboard systems over their operational lifetimes. The Shock and vibration information will be used to determine the effect of environmental stresses on the performance of the systems.
5. U.S. Government Contracts with McQ for OmniSense® and OmniWatch® Security Systems.
   
   McQ has received a contract from DOE to provide OmniSense® UGS systems for protecting U.S. Government facilities. McQ has delivered a facility protection system to DOE for installation at a government site. McQ has delivered an OmniWatch® high resolution RF wireless video system integrated with McQ’s iScout® UGS to the government. This battery powered remote area surveillance system will be used by the government to protect facilities in foreign operation areas.

McQ is a recognized technology leader in remote surveillance, security and environmental monitoring. McQ sensor products are used by the US Army, US Marine Corps, US Department of Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and various Commercial Customers. Leading the way as the first company to develop integrated sensor and imagery technology for surveillance purposes, McQ is also the first to interface multiple sensors into a fully integrated communications and data network. McQ has over twenty five years of experience with sensor technology and has earned a reputation for delivering rugged, state of the art surveillance and remote sensor systems for a wide range of commercial and government clients. Visit McQ on the web atwww.mcqinc.com.

McQ is an ISO 2000:9001 certified company.

Contact:

McQ Inc.
Karen Lindsey, 540-373-2374
klindsey@mcqinc.com

OGC Seeks Comments on SWE Common Service Model Interface Standard

Defense News: WAYLAND, MA--(Marketwire - 03/26/10) - The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) seeks public comment on the candidate OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) Common Service Model Interface Standard Version 2.0. The SWE Service Model provides a common set of data types and defines a common set of interface mechanisms that can be used with other SWE interface standards.

There are two "SWE Common" standards: The OGC SWE Common Service Model Interface Standard is applicable to all services that provide or require information from or about sensors. It is designed for uses cases in which sensors need to be accessed and managed through service interfaces. A related standard, the OGC SWE Common Encoding Standard, provides a standard model (and XML implementation of the model) for the representation, nature, structure and encoding of sensor related data. It is used for describing static data (files) as well as dynamically generated datasets (on-the-fly processing), real-time streaming data, and process and web service inputs and outputs.

Both of the SWE Common standards are designed to be used with other existing OGC® Sensor Web Enablement standards such as OGC Sensor Model Language (SensorML) Encoding Standard, Sensor Observation Service (SOS) Interface Standard and Sensor Planning Service (SPS) Interface Standard.

The proposed OGC SWE Service Model 2.0 Standard and information on submitting comments on this document are available at http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/requests/65. The public comment period closes on 25 April 2010.

The OGC is an international consortium of more than 390 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OGC Standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. OGC Standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled. Visit the OGC website at http://www.opengeospatial.org.

Contact:

 
Contact: 
Lance McKee
Outreach Consultant 
Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc 
Tel: +1-508-655-5858
Email Contact 

Sustainable Oils Produces Camelina-based Fuel for Historic U.S. Air Force Flight

First flight to have 50-50 traditional-renewable fuel mix in all engines

Defense News: BOZEMAN, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sustainable Oils, a producer of renewable, low carbon and domestically produced camelina-based fuels, powered the historic and successful flight of a U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II that flew on a 50-50 blend of camelina-based jet fuel and traditional jet fuel. The 90-minute flight, which took place March 25^th at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, marked the first time that any aircraft has been powered by conventional and biomass-based fuel in all engines. Footage of the historic flight is available for download here: http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=video/video_show.php&id=81785.

“The successful Air Force flight is another demonstration of the high quality and performance of camelina-based jet fuels made by Sustainable Oils,” said Tom Todaro, CEO of Sustainable Oils. “Our domestically grown and produced biofuels increase revenue and jobs in rural America, decrease emissions and help reduce our nation’s dependence on imported oil. Nothing could be more important for our economy, environment and national security.”

“This sortie was pretty uneventful and predictable…that’s a good thing,” said the test pilot, Maj. Chris Seager, who monitored his gauges and engine performance during the flight. “It was a real privilege to be part of this ground-breaking demonstration.”

In October 2009, Sustainable Oils was awarded a contract by the Defense Energy Support Center (DESC) to supply camelina-based jet fuel to the Air Force. The contract was for 100,000 gallons of HRJ-8 beginning 2009 through 2010, and includes an option to purchase an additional 100,000 gallons between June 2010 and December 2012. The Air Force plans for a second feasibility demonstration this summer using an F-15 Eagle to test performance parameters. A C-17 Globemaster III will be tested because of the amount of fuel it consumes and an F-22 Raptor test is planned because of the aircraft's complexity. The latter two tests are scheduled to occur later this year.

“The Air Force is committed to reducing our reliance on foreign oil,” said Terry Yonkers, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics at the conclusion of the test flight. “Our goal is to reduce demand, increase supply and change the culture and mindset of our fuel consumption.”

Camelina was selected for initial testing by the military because it does not compete with food crops, has been proven to reduce carbon emissions by more than 80 percent, and has already been successfully tested in a commercial airline test flight. In addition, camelina has naturally high oil content, is drought tolerant and requires less fertilizer and herbicides. It is an excellent rotation crop with wheat, and it can also grow on marginal land.

Camelina is the most readily available renewable fuel feedstock that meets the Air Force’s criteria, with the ability to scale up acreage to meet demand. The camelina for the contract and historic test flight was primarily grown in 2009 and harvested in September 2009 by farmers in Montana. The company also has several field trials in Washington State.

Sustainable Oils has the largest camelina research program in the nation. The company’s camelina breeding program began in 2005 and has steadily expanded to include more than 140 trials across North America from 2005-2009. The company is also evaluating more than 90 breeding populations of camelina to analyze agronomic and oil qualities and to develop new high-yielding varieties. Sustainable Oils leverages biotechnology resources from its Seattle-based agricultural biotech parent company Targeted Growth.

Camelina has also been proven to significantly reduce carbon emissions in aviation fuel. A life cycle analysis (LCA) of jet fuel created from camelina conducted at Michigan Tech University in conjunction with UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company, and Sustainable Oils found that the renewable fuel reduces carbon emissions by 80 percent compared to petroleum jet fuel.

About Sustainable Oils

Sustainable Oils, LLC is a producer and marketer of renewable, environmentally clean, and high-value camelina-based renewable fuels. A joint venture between Targeted Growth, Inc., a renewable energy bioscience company, and Green Earth Fuels, a vertically integrated biodiesel energy company, Sustainable Oils is focused on the continued research and development of dedicated energy crops such as camelina. Sustainable Oils solidly supports both agricultural and green energy initiatives with camelina, which is efficiently and economically grown even on marginal lands, harvested with traditional equipment, and requires minimal water. More information is available at www.susoils.com.

Contact:

Scoville Public Relations
John Williams, 206-625-0075 x1
jwilliams@scovillepr.com

Aerojet's Advanced Third Stage Technology Demonstration Motor Successfully Tested by Air Force

Defense News: SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE:GY - News) company, and the U.S. Air Forceconducted a successful static test of Aerojet's Advanced Third Stage (A3S) technology demonstration motor in support of the U.S. Family of Motors for military and commercial applications.

The A3S motor is being developed on the Propulsion Application Program (PAP) under contract to the 526th ICBM Systems Group at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The test was conducted at altitude conditions by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Aerojet's A3S technology demonstration motor design incorporates numerous advanced technologies and materials selected in Phase I of the program and are being demonstrated via a Super BATES motor test in the initial portion of Phase II. The program's primary goal is to develop a new generation of ICBM-sized motors with increased propulsion performance and lower manufacturing and operational costs. In order to meet these goals, the A3S technology demonstration motor consists of an advanced carbon-carbon exit cone assembled using environmentally friendly materials and a high energy solid propellant that was mixed and cast at Aerojet's Sacramento, Calif. facility.

During the static firing, the A3S technology demonstration motor achieved a peak thrust of more than 33,000 lbf. Initial post-test inspection indicates that all components functioned as designed and performance predictions were on target. The Air Force and Aerojet are now preparing for development of a full-scale A3S motor for testing in a simulated altitude static test. This altitude test will fully validate motor performance and will be a precursor for potential flight testing.

"The successful A3S test represents the fourth strategic technology motor test conducted by Aerojet in the past 12 months," said Mark Kaufman, executive director of Strategic Programs at Aerojet. "We believe the technologies, materials, and modes of manufacture will not only serve future applications on Air Force Strategic Strike missile architecture, but applications for the general SRM industrial base as a whole."

Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' Web sites at http://www.Aerojet.com andhttp://www.GenCorp.com.

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Pentagon loathe to consider Airbus subsidy-Gates

* Gates says thinks barred from weighing WTO ruling

* No decision on EADS' request for bidding extension

* Lawmaker urges against accommodating EADS (Adds quotes, background, analysis, byline)

By Jim Wolf

Defense News: WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he thought the Defense Department was barred by law from considering subsidies in weighing a potential EADS bid for a multibillion-dollar U.S. Air Force refueling fleet.

Gates also told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday that no decision had been made yet on the request by Airbus parent EADS for an extension of a May 10 bidding deadline.

Airbus image

Chicago-based Boeing Co (BA.N) is the only other known contender for the potential $50 billion deal for 179 tankers, aircraft used to refuel others in mid-air.

Sen. Sam Brownback, a Republican from Kansas, where Boeing would assemble and militarize its tanker, urged against pushing back the date for Europe's EADS to bid.

"I see no reason to concede this to the Europeans," he told Gates.

On Tuesday, a World Trade Organization panel ruled that Airbus had benefited from illegal subsidies, including ones to develop the A330 wide-body it might pit against a tanker based on Boeing Co's (BA.N) 767.

Brownback asked whether Gates understood current law to bar the Defense Department from addressing the subsidy issue "or are you saying that no provision requires DoD to account for illegal subsidies?"

"I think that we are prohibited but let me get you an accurate answer for the record," Gates replied.

On Wednesday, Gates had cited his lawyers as saying "that the WTO case gives us no basis on which to make a judgment."

If the United States were to take some kind of retaliatory action outside of the WTO process, it would most likely be in violation of the rules to which it agreed to adhere, Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, added in an email to Reuters late Wednesday.

Together with Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N), EADS bested Boeing for a 2008 contract to start replacing 1960s-era KC-135 tankers, only to have the award canceled after Boeing lodged a formal protest. U.S. auditors found the Air Force had failed to follow its own judging rules.

Northrop said on March 8 it was withdrawing from the planned rematch. The Pentagon's final tender "clearly favors" Boeing's smaller 767-based tanker over the larger Airbus A330, Northrop's chief executive, Wes Bush, said at the time.

EADS is seeking up to three months to prepare a bid as its own prime contractor, including to study classified sections of the Pentagon's complex specifications. That information had gone to Northrop only because it was to have been prime contractor on the EADS team.

Some Boeing backers oppose giving EADS three more months for fear that the U.S. congressional elections on Nov. 2 could give Republicans a stronger hand in Congress. Such a reversal of fortunes in turn could boost southern states that would benefit from EADS plan to assemble its tankers in Mobile, Alabama. (Reporting by Jim Wolf; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

AAR to buy Aviation Worldwide for $200 mln

* Deal to add to earnings in first year

* To boost annual rev by $175 mln

Defense News: March 25 (Reuters) - Aircraft parts supplier AAR Corp (AIR.N) said it would buy privately held Aviation Worldwide Services (AWS) for $200 million to expand its services to government customers in the United States and abroad.

AAR, which serves customers in both commercial aviation and government/defense markets, said the business is expected to generate about $175 million of revenue annually and add to its earnings and margins within its first year of ownership.

The company said it would purchase AWS, a provider of expeditionary airlift services and aircraft modifications to government customers, from Xe Services LLC.

AWS operates a fleet of 58 customized aircraft through its subsidiaries Presidential Airways and STI Aviation.

AAR expects to fund the deal through a combination of available cash, a new 270-day syndicated credit facility and a five-year term loan secured against certain aircraft. (Reporting by A.Ananthalakshmi in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel)

Parsons Wins Training Contract Supporting Joint Intelligence Training Academy in Hawaii

Defense News: PASADENA, CA--(Marketwire - 03/25/10) - Parsons announced today that McMunn Associates, Inc. (MAI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Parsons, was awarded a base year plus four option year contract to assist the Joint Intelligence Training Academy Pacific (JITAP) in its extensive training endeavors supporting the Pacific Joint Intelligence Operations Center, the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), and PACOM component commands.

"MAI is an innovative leader in national security solutions," said David McMunn, MAI President. "This award expands MAI's support to JITAP in orchestrating all aspects of professional development programs for five intelligence functional areas including: analysis, counterinsurgency/terrorism, planning, collection management, and targeting. We look forward to continuing to support JITAP," stated Todd Wager, Parsons Group President.

Parsons Headquarters Map data ©2010 Google - Terms of Use

Under this contract, MAI will promote and participate in a Defense Intelligence Agency-sponsored enterprise approach focused on fostering training collaboration among all Combatant Commands and their subordinate Intelligence Centers.

Parsons, celebrating more than 65 years of growth in the engineering and construction industry, is a leader in many diversified markets with a focus on infrastructure, environmental, and defense/security. Parsons delivers design/design-build, program and construction management, professional services, and innovative alternative delivery solutions to private industrial customers worldwide, as well as federal, regional, and local government agencies. For more about Parsons, please visit www.parsons.com.

MDA announces strategic agreement with Vertafore in Insurance sector

Defense News: RICHMOND, BC, March 25 /CNW/ - MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA - News), a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that its US subsidiary Marshall & Swift / Boeckh (MSB), the leading provider of building cost data and estimating technology to US property insurance carriers, has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with Vertafore, a leading provider of software and information to insurance distribution channels.

Under the agreement, MSB will provide insurance agents who use Vertafore's PL Rating system with the ability to automatically pre-fill the necessary data elements to request home insurance quotations from multiple insurance carriers, using property data elements from MDA's vast property information warehouse, which covers more than 100 million properties in the US.

Whereas previously agents had to re-key all of the data elements for each individual request for quotation from each carrier, the combined solution provided by MSB and Vertafore significantly reduces the number of data elements that need to be entered manually, and also eliminates the need to enter the same data time and again for each quotation. Once the pre-filled quotation request is completed by the agent a number of electronic quotations are obtained simultaneously from the carriers specified, and these quotes are then made available to the agent in near real time, allowing the agent to respond to the home owner applying for insurance much faster than before.

'This partnership is a great example of MSB's commitment to provide pragmatic information solutions that improve workflow efficiencies in the home insurance process,' said Salil Donde, CEO of MSB.

'We've been partnering with MSB for many years, and this new agreement adds tremendous value to our clients by enabling them to conduct a much more seamless interview process with the homeowner; we've seen rapid adoption of pre-fill data by our auto clients and we expect the same to happen here,' said Dave Acker, vice president, rating and connectivity at Vertafore.

About MDA

MDA provides advanced information solutions that capture and process vast amounts of data, produce essential information, and improve the decision making and operational performance of business and government organizations worldwide.

Focused on markets and customers with strong repeat business potential, MDA delivers a broad spectrum of information solutions, ranging from complex operational systems, to tailored information services, to electronic information products.

The Company's common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol TSX:MDA.

About Vertafore

Vertafore is the leading provider of software and information to the insurance distribution channel including independent agents, brokers, MGAs, carriers and reinsurers. Vertafore leverages a unique industry presence to deliver meaningful solutions - powerful technology, critical information and robust insights to help organizations effectively respond to business challenges and capture new opportunities. Vertafore solutions have helped more than 17,000 customers and 500,000 users gain a competitive advantage to accelerate their business performance. For more information about Vertafore, please visit www.vertafore.com.

     Related Websites:

     www.mdacorporation.com
     www.vertafore.com
     

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains forward-looking statements and information, which reflect the current view of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. ('MDA') with respect to future events and financial performance. The forward-looking statements in this regard include statements regarding the entering into of a strategic partnership agreement. Any such forward-looking statements are based on MDA's current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends. The factors and assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this release include the strategic partnership agreement not being terminated. Any such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. MDA cautions readers that should certain risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from those expected. The risks that could cause actual results to differ from current expectations include inherent risks in the information products market, including general economic, regulations and competitor changes; changes in government priorities, funding levels, contracts and regulations; susceptibility of customers in property transaction-related industries; and failure to anticipate changes in technology, technical standards and product offerings or comply with the requisite standards.

For additional information with respect to certain of these risks or factors, plus additional risks or factors, reference should be made to MDA's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with Canadian securities regulatory authorities, which are available online at www.sedar.com or on MDA's website atwww.mdacorporation.com.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the form or content of this release.

For further information

Wendy Keyzer, MDA External Relations, (604) 231-2743, wendy@mdacorporation.com

Related Headlines

• MDA announces strategic agreement with Vertafore in Insurance sector - CNW Group
• MDA partners with UK Land Registry to offer advanced information solution for commercial developments - CNW Group
• MDA reports fourth quarter and full year 2009 results - CNW Group
• Q4 2009 MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. Earnings Release - 4:30 pm ET - CCBN
• RADARSAT Constellation Mission contract update- CNW Group