Date: 1/11/2010

HITCO Contact(s):
Mark Kokosinski
HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc.
Tel: 310 970-5782    Fax: 310 769-2189
e-mail: Kokosinski.Mark@Hitco.com

Lockheed Martin Awards HITCO to Produce Composite Components for F-35 Lightning II Program

Los Angeles / Wiesbaden, January 11, 2010. HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc., Gardena, California,
U.S.A., a subsidiary of SGL Group – The Carbon Company – announced today that Lockheed Martin has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to award HITCO a contract to produce wing skins and nacelle skins for the F-35 Lightning II Program.

“HITCO will utilize its state-of-the-art production and testing equipment, particularly the Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) machine and the new large autoclave, to manufacture these components. We will also build on the processing expertise we have developed with BMI composite materials during our track record of performance with Lockheed Martin on the F-22 program. HITCO and its parent company, SGL Group, continue to invest in automated manufacturing capability at the Gardena site, enabling HITCO to achieve its goal of becoming a world-class Tier II supplier to the aerospace industry. We look forward to a long business relationship with Lockheed Martin on the F-35 program well beyond the initial five year contract term,” said Peter M. Hoffman, HITCO President.

The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, is a new single-seat, single-engine,
supersonic stealth strike fighter capable of performing close air support, tactical bombing and air
superiority missions. The aircraft is built in three different versions: a conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) aircraft, a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant and an aircraft carrier-based (CV) model. The F-35 Lightning aircraft is designed and built by an industry team led by Lockheed Martin. Nine major partner nations including the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Norway and Denmark plan to acquire over 3,100 F-35 Lightning aircraft through 2035, making the F-35 one of the largest jet fighter programs in history.

About HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc.

HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc. was founded in 1922 and manufactures advanced composite materials primarily for aerospace and defense applications.  HITCO continues to be an innovative leader in the advancement of carbon composite technologies and continues to strategically focus within the SGL Group on new projects for aerospace/aircraft and defense applications.

About SGL Group – The Carbon Company

The SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products. It has a  comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable  the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to the paradigm shift in the use of materials as a result of the worldwide shortage of energy and raw materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products from an increasing number of industries. Carbon and graphite products are  used whenever other materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, plastics, wood etc. fail due to their limited properties. Products from the SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive, chemical and glass/ceramics industries. However, manufacturers in the semiconductor, battery, solar/wind energy, environmental protection, aerospace and defense industries as well as in the nuclear energy industry also figure among the Company’s customers.

With 40 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia as well as a service network covering more than 100 countries, the SGL Group is a company with a global presence. In 2007, the Company’s workforce of around 5,900 generated sales of € 1.4 billion. The Company’s head office is located in Wiesbaden/Germany.

Important note:

This press release contains statements on future developments that are based on currently available information and that involve risks and uncertainties that could lead to actual results deviating from these forward-looking statements. The statements on future developments are not to be understood as guarantees. The future developments and events are dependent on a number of factors, they include various risks and unanticipated circumstances and are based on assumptions that may not be correct. These risks and uncertainties include, for example, unforeseeable changes in political, economic and business conditions, particularly in the area of electrosteel production, the competitive situation, interest rate and currency developments, technological developments and other risks and unanticipated circumstances. We see other risks in price developments, unexpected developments relating to acquired and consolidated companies and in the ongoing cost optimization programs. SGL Group does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.