ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2005--BAE Systems is working to make the holidays a bit easier for families in the greater Washington, D.C. area this holiday season. The company today announced donations totaling $20,000 to four organizations in the region: Northern Virginia Family Service, Germantown Help, So Others Might Eat (SOME) and the Capital Area Food Bank. Each charity received a $5,000 contribution to assist in operating costs that directly support those in need.

"At this time of year, it is important to give back to the communities where our employees live and work," said Mark Ronald, president and CEO of BAE Systems Inc. "BAE Systems is a global company with a local heart and is proud to support such meaningful causes in the greater Washington area."

"The holidays can be especially hard on families in need. I appreciate BAE Systems good corporate citizenship in stepping up to the plate for those less fortunate. These donations will go directly to organizations that are working at the grassroots level to feed and assist people who otherwise would go without this year," said Rep. Jim Moran (Va.-Northern Virginia).

Earlier in the year, following Hurricane Katrina, BAE Systems matched the more than $1.16 million in donations from employees across the company for a total contribution of $2,335,338 to the American Red Cross. In the aftermath of the Southwest Asia tsunami, BAE Systems employees conducted a similar matching campaign which resulted in a donation of more than $520,000 to the American Red Cross.

BAE Systems has also raised charity dollars for the American Cancer Society through the company's annual Charity Challenge project. More than $1.6 million was generated in 2005 through company and individual donations, employee fundraising and volunteer activities.

Nearly 6,500 of BAE Systems' 38,000 U.S. employees work in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia. BAE Systems directs its U.S. operations from corporate offices in Rockville, Md. and Arlington, Va.

BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. The company designs, manufactures, and supports military aircraft, combat vehicles, surface ships, submarines, radar, avionics, communications, electronics, and guided weapon systems.

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