Trading Statement

QinetiQ Group plc 28 September 2007 QinetiQ Group plc 28 September 2007 Pre Close Trading Update QinetiQ Group plc ('QinetiQ' or 'the Group'), the international defence and security technology company, today issues the following trading statement in respect of the six months ending 30 September 2007. The Group's interim results will be announced on 28 November 2007. The Board confirms that the trading outlook for the year remains in line with that described in the Interim Management Statement issued to coincide with the Group's Annual General Meeting on 26 July 2007. A key element of the Group's stated strategy is to build its footprint in the North American market and the Board is pleased to confirm that this business has continued to grow through very strong organic trading performance in the period supplemented by further acquisitions. The EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Australasia) sector continues to reposition itself to exploit its core UK defence technology platform in relevant defence markets globally. QNA QNA (QinetiQ North America) has seen continued strong order levels across all parts of the business driving a very strong trading performance, notwithstanding the adverse translation impact of a 7% weakening of the US dollar compared to sterling from the previous half year. The Systems Engineering & Technical Assistance business has successfully retained in competition several important five year contracts worth in excess of $120m over the contract lives and the Technology business has received over $100m of further funding for Talon robots and spares, together with the first sales of a small number of SWORDS robots, the armed variant of the platform. Talon robot shipments have continued at the strong levels that were achieved in the second half of last year supplemented by strong spares sales. Additionally QNA was awarded the right to participate in the Alliant contract, the US's largest government-wide acquisition contract. The Alliant contract is a 10-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a ceiling of $50 billion which enables US government agencies and military services to purchase innovative IT solutions. Integration of the North American acquisitions is progressing well and the Group continues to see a healthy pipeline of further acquisition opportunities in North America. Additionally, the Group has successfully completed four acquisitions in North America this financial year, together with the acquisition of Analex at the end of the prior year, and the initial trading from these businesses is positive. EMEA Overall, the EMEA business has traded in line with the comparative period in the previous year, with good progress being made on repositioning the business at the sub-sector level. In prior years, a significantly greater proportion of UK profit has been earned in the second half and this trend will be repeated in the current year. As part of the ongoing process to shape the EMEA sector the Group is looking to grow its capabilities and expand its geographic footprint beyond the UK into other international defence markets outside North America, initially in Australia and selected Middle and Far East markets. Negotiations with the MOD on Package 1 of the Defence Training Rationalisation Programme continue to make good progress and the target remains to agree the final scope in 2007, with financial close expected 12 to 18 months thereafter. Discussions continue with the MOD over the affordability of Package 2. The Board is also pleased to confirm that the Group and the trade unions have reached agreement to put to members of the defined benefit section proposed future changes to the core terms of the QinetiQ Group pension scheme as detailed below. Ventures The creation of a new technology venture fund with Coller Capital (QinetiQ Ventures LP) to accelerate the development and realisation of seven of its more mature venture investments was successfully completed on 3 August 2007. One of the fund's investments, Metalysis, a leading technology business for the global specialty metals industry, has completed a £13m funding round to support it in taking three product lines to commercial production using its patented technologies. Among the retained ventures businesses we continue to receive positive feedback on the trial installations of Tarsier at London Heathrow and Providence, Rhode Island airports and the development of the day and night vision camera to supplement the existing system is progressing with an expected demonstration system due to be installed at London Heathrow in the third quarter of the financial year. As previously indicated, the level of QinetiQ revenue investment in the retained ventures is expected to be at a higher level than in the prior year. Cash flow, tax rates and pension Underlying cash conversion in the business remains strong and has been supplemented in the first half by the unwind of the unusually high MOD related working capital at the end of the prior year. During the period the company has provided some £12m of funding to the trustees of its employee share scheme trust to allow them to purchase shares in the company to hedge outstanding share options and other share based awards that have been made since IPO. Following the changes to UK tax rates in the 2007 budget and further progress on the Group's tax filings, the underlying effective tax rate for the year is expected to be below that in the prior year. Core changes to the defined benefit section include raising the normal pension age from 60 to 65 and a range of options that allow the employee to maintain future benefit accrual at their current levels, based on a higher rate of employee contribution, or to move to a lower accrual rate and capped pension increases, based on current employee contribution levels. The changes do not affect past service obligations and the Group is not making any additional cash funding to the scheme as part of these arrangements. Future cost increases will be dealt with through a risk sharing agreement. Outlook We believe that the execution of the Group's stated strategy is bearing fruit and we continue to look forward to the remainder of the current year with confidence. Notes to Editors About QinetiQ: QinetiQ (pronounced ki net ik as in 'kinetic energy') is a leading international defence and security technology business that was formed in July 2001 from the UK Government's Defence Evaluation & Research Agency (DERA). QinetiQ has approximately 13,500 employees, who deliver technology-based services and exploit QinetiQ's strengths in technology research by selling systems solutions, products and licences to government and commercial customers in a spectrum of defence, security and related commercial markets. In February 2006, QinetiQ Group plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange (main market) and joined the FTSE250 in June 2006. In the year to 31 March 2007, QinetiQ delivered a 17.4 per cent rise in underlying operating profit before tax to £106.0m on turnover which rose by 9.3 per cent to £1,149.5m. For further information see www.QinetiQ.com Contacts: QinetiQ Media Relations: Nicky Louth-Davies +44 (0)7795 290593 QinetiQ Investor Relations: Adrian Colman +44 (0)7740 432699 Disclaimer All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this document, including, without limitation, those regarding the financial condition, results, operations and businesses of QinetiQ and its strategy, plans and objectives and the markets and economies in which it operates, are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect management's assumptions made on the basis of information available to it at this time, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors which could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of QinetiQ or the markets and economies in which QinetiQ operates to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Nothing in this document should be regarded as a profit forecast. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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