Barnes Aerospace Delivers Critical Tiltrotor Assemblies.

WINDSOR, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 1999--

Barnes Aerospace's Ogden Division, a wholly owned business unit of Barnes Group Inc. (NYSE:B), will begin delivering critical prototype assemblies to Bell Helicopter for its BA609 civil tiltrotor in this year's third quarter. Barnes is under contract to produce left and right firewall assemblies located in the nacelles of the revolutionary aircraft.

The original contract, signed a year ago, is for up to 250 shipsets. The assemblies were developed jointly by both Barnes Aerospace and Bell Helicopter engineers and are produced by hot formed or super plastic formed titanium.

According to Barnes' BA609 program manager, Rick Fennell, some assemblies contain up to 24 details. A total of 12 assemblies are required to make a shipset. He said, "We began working with Bell on the BA609 project toward the end of 1997. Prior to the production contract, we won a design engineering award for manufacturing details. We will continue working directly with Bell throughout the life of the commercial tiltrotor project."

To date, Barnes has designed and fabricated more than 400 tools in-house for the BA609 program. According to Fennell, 90 percent of the tool requirements have been completed while the production of the assembly details began in March.

Four shipsets of prototype assemblies will be produced over the next 18 months and each six months thereafter. Full production of the fire wall assemblies will begin following FAA certification. Barnes has also submitted similar quotations for the BA609 to Bell's partner in the program, Agusta of Italy.

The BA609 contract to the Ogden Division of Barnes Aerospace is one of the company's larger, long term contracts. Ten years ago, Barnes was contracted by Bell-Boeing to produce anti-abrasion strips for rotor/props on the V-22 military tiltrotor. That contract includes a full shipset of six anti-abrasion strips for all V-22s produced by Bell-Boeing for the U.S. Department of Defense.

David Mitchell, General Manager of Barnes' Ogden Division, said, "We are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the BA609 tiltrotor program and look forward to a successful and long term relationship with the Bell and Agusta organizations."

The Ogden Division specializes in hot and cold forming complex parts from titanium and other high temperature materials. Its capabilities include: super plastic hot forming, high technology welding and brazing, precision machining, mechanical joining, water jet and laser trimming, tool design and fabrication, CATIA/CAD and concurrent engineering.

Barnes Aerospace continues to partner with its customers by focusing its expertise on manufacturing details, kits and assemblies for airframes and engines from exotic aerospace metals. The company also develops complex structural repairs for turbine engine components.

Barnes Group Inc. (http://www.barnesgroupinc.com), is a diversified international manufacturer and distributor, serving a wide range of industrial markets with precision metal parts and industrial supplies. Founded in 1857 and headquartered in Bristol, Connecticut, Barnes Group Inc. consists of three separate business units employing 3,847 people at 42 locations worldwide.

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