Boeing Awards MIC Laser Peening Contract to Form 747-8 Wing Sections

14 January 2008

News Releases

Jan 14, 2008

Livermore, CA, Jan. 14 — Metal Improvement Company (MIC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Curtiss-Wright Corporation, has been awarded a contract from The Boeing Company to establish a laser peen forming production cell inside of Boeing’s Frederickson, WA facility. The laser peening cell is planned to be in production during the second quarter of 2008 and would initially be utilized for shaping the complex curvatures of some of the wing sections of the new Boeing 747-8.

Metal Improvement Company’s laser peening technology is based on a Neodymium glass laser technology, which was originally developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It has the ability to impart deep compressive stresses on the surface of metal parts, which can then be used to precisely form metal panels into their desired shape. MIC operates laser peening facilities in Livermore , CA and Earby , UK , and also has mobile laser peening systems with the capability to go on-site anywhere in the world.

“We are very pleased to be providing Boeing with our state-of-the-art laser peen technology for their most advanced aircraft design,” said Martin R. Benante, Chairman and CEO of Curtiss-Wright. “This award is a significant milestone in bringing our proprietary laser peening technology to the market. A number of industry leaders, such as Rolls Royce and Siemens have also recognized the benefits of this process and we see a strong outlook for additional production orders.”

The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and 747-8 Freighter are new high- capacity aircraft based on Boeing’s proven 747 family. The 747-8 offers the advantage of improved aerodynamics and reduced operating costs over the current 747-400.

Metal Improvement Company provides precision metal finishing services, including shot peening, shot peen forming, laser peening, heat treating, specialty coatings, reed valve manufacturing and wet finishing. Its customer base includes the commercial aerospace, automotive, power generation and processing industries. The Company operates 61 metal treatment facilities in North America and Europe .

About Curtiss-Wright

Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a diversified company headquartered in Roseland , N.J. The company designs, manufactures and overhauls products for motion control and flow control applications, and provides a variety of metal treatment services. The firm employs approximately 7,300 people worldwide. More information on Curtiss-Wright can be found at www.curtisswright.com