Re Contract

Smiths Group PLC
13 August 2001

Smiths wins £40 million military contract

The Ministry of Defence has awarded Smiths Group a £40 million contract to
design and install its GenHUMS advanced electronic monitoring system in the
Royal Navy's fleet of Sea King helicopters. These represent the majority of
the 90 Sea Kings operated by the MoD. Deliveries will begin in 2004 with
completion in early 2007.

The contract follows the development and integration of GenHUMS on 40 Mk 2
Chinook helicopters for the Ministry of Defence, which started to enter
operational service in September 2000. The Smiths systems are also proposed
for the UK Puma, Lynx and Chinook Mk3 fleets.

Keith Butler-Wheelhouse, chief executive of Smiths Group said: 'The advanced
technology developed by Smiths Aerospace division has given us a world lead in
the introduction of in-flight diagnostics for helicopters. The MoD contracts
for the Chinook and now the Sea King are reward for our investment in the
technology and will have been closely observed by military helicopter
operators world-wide.'

GenHUMS is an integrated cockpit voice and flight data recorder with a health
and usage monitoring system, installed on each aircraft as a 'single box'
system. It continuously checks the performance of safety-critical components,
providing advance warning of potential equipment failures and collecting
valuable data for routine maintenance of the helicopters. The addition of
Smiths' GenHUMS on the Chinook fleet has been described by the Defence
Procurement Agency as 'a major step forward in UK military aviation safety.'

The HUMS system monitors nearly 200 parameters vital to the operation of the
aircraft - continuously acquiring, processing and storing data in cartridge
form for routine maintenance and in a crash survivable 'black box'. Among the
critical aircraft systems monitored are engines, transmission, drivetrain
system, bearings and rotors.

Smiths Aerospace is the prime contractor to the MoD for the new GenHUMS. This
includes tailoring the system to all variants of the Sea King aircraft now in
service; aircraft trial installations; system verification; and airworthiness
approvals.

In addition to the selection of GenHUMS for the Royal Navy Sea Kings,
derivatives of the system have previously been selected for the BA-609
helicopter and are currently flying on the Bell 412 and Sikorsky CH-53. In
addition, Bell Helicopter is offering the Smiths' HUMS for all international
AH-1Z King Cobra sales.

Smiths Group is a global business with market-leading positions in each of its
four operating businesses: advanced aerospace systems; mechanical and polymer
seals; medical devices and critical care equipment; and specialised industrial
products for interconnect & air movement applications. Further information can
be found on the company's website: www.smiths-group.com.

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