SPECTROLAB, INC. 12500 Gladstone Avenue Sylmar, CA 91342-5373 Media Contact: George Torres (310) 364-5777 george.j.torres@boeing.com Marketing Contact: Mike Kalachian (818) 898-7540 mkalachian@spectrolab.com

Sylmar, Calif., Feb. 12 - Spectrolab will launch a new searchlight for the aviation industry during the three-day Helicopter Association International tradeshow at the Anaheim Convention Center, Feb 11-13. Spectrolab is the world's leading manufacturer of searchlights and is a unit of The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA).

Spectrolab representatives will demonstrate the new Nightsun® II, a new product building on the company's 30-year old reputation for leadership in aircraft searchlights, at booth #1332 in the Anaheim Convention Center.

"We are very excited about this product," said David Lillington, President of Spectrolab. "The Nightsun® II is a very powerful searchlight that can give a person who is looking with binoculars the ability to easily recognize a target a mile away.

"We have improved the new searchlight by giving it a more aerodynamic design, making it more energy efficient, lighter in weight and able to work more effectively with the other aircraft systems," said Lillington.

The Nightsun® II's number one feature is that it works with the other aircraft systems. "In the past, the searchlight and other onboard aircraft systems were operated as separate components. The Nightsun® II allows these systems to work together and function as a single system," Lillington said.

Another feature of the Nightsun® II is an onboard-regulated power supply, which saves energy and gives the same light output with less input power. The Nightsun® II system weight is approximately 25 percent less than the SX-16 Nightsun®. The new searchlight head is noticeably smaller than the standard SX-16 searchlight head that was 12" x 18"and weighs 28 pounds. The new system also allows one controller to handle the units together as a linked system or as two separate units.

"We have already received some great feedback about the product even though it hasn't been released yet," Lillington continued. " The Albuquerque, N.M., police department has already purchased the new searchlight for one of their new helicopters, which should be ready in July."

The new searchlight will be marketed in virtually every country around the globe. The markets include police aviation - domestically and foreign; military; coast guard; electronic newsgathering; search and rescue; emergency medical; customs; and border patrol. Spectrolab searchlights are currently being used internationally in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, Scandinavia and Southeast Asia.

Spectrolab is headquartered in Sylmar, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles, and is the world's largest manufacturer of space and terrestrial solar cells. It also is a leading supplier of Nightsun® searchlights and solar simulators. The Boeing Company acquired Spectrolab in October 2000.

The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), headquartered in Seattle, is the largest aerospace company in the world and the United States' leading exporter. It is the world's largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft, and the largest NASA contractor. The company's capabilities in aerospace also include rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, rocket engines, launch vehicles, and advanced information and communication systems. The company has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries and manufacturing operations throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.