THALES COMPUTERS RECEIVES ISO 9001:2000 CERTIFICATION

Thales Computers, a leader in providing integrated PowerPCä and Pentium-based VME COTS computing systems and solutions to OEMs and system integrators, announces that it has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification, the latest revision of the international quality standard.

Raleigh NC and Toulon, France, October 29, 2003 - Thales Computers, a leader in providing integrated PowerPCä and Pentium-based VME COTS computing systems and solutions to OEMs and system integrators, announces that it has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification, the latest revision of the international quality standard. The company received its accreditation in October 2003, following a successful surveillance audit by its chosen registrar, AFAQ.

The new ISO 2000 standard mandates that a manufacturer make a significant effort to ensure top-quality customer satisfaction. To meet this requirement, Thales Computers combined the resources and skills of its US headquarters in Raleigh, NC, and its European headquarters in Toulon, France, to develop a unified quality management system that focuses on improving customer satisfaction. Part of this system incorporates the Thales Group's overall IT Security and Facility Plan, designed to not only provide employees with a safe working environment, but also to enable employees to utilize the Thales Group's collective resources to continuously improve customer service and response time.

Alain Albarello, Chairman and CEO, said, "When developing our plan to improve customer service, we placed considerable emphasis on our quality of service standards to ensure that our customers would receive the best possible support available. Through the combined efforts of our US and European companies, we have developed a strong and fully unified system to quickly facilitate customer requests and provide exemplary technical support."

According to ISO, in order for a manufacturer to measure and ensure customer satisfaction, a company must conduct regular surveys to obtain quantitative data relating to the performance of the company as well as its products. Thales Computers is in the process of conducting a benchmark survey for customer satisfaction and will repeat the survey on an annual basis to ensure continuous improvement.

For more information, contact Richard Allison, Thales Computers, Inc., 3100 Spring Forest Road, Suite 135, Raleigh, NC 27616. Tel: (919) 231-8000; Fax: (919) 231-8001;

E-mail: rallison@thalescomputers.com; or view the company's web site at: www.thalescomputers.com.

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About Thales and Thales Computers: Thales is a world leader in professional electronics in three key markets: Aerospace, Defense and Information Technology & Services (IT&S). The Group employs 65,000 people in nearly 50 countries worldwide, and generated revenues of over €11 billion in 2002.

Thales Computers is the leading developer of commercial and ruggedized VMEbus hardware and software solutions based on PowerPC and Pentium microprocessors. The company's products are optimized for a wide variety of applications in military, aerospace, communications and industrial markets and are in active use by customers worldwide, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Toshiba, EADS, British Aerospace, Ericsson, Alcatel and the Thales Group.