Ceradyne, Inc. Receives $3.7 Million SAPI Armor Contract; Expedited Contract for U.S. Army

    COSTA MESA, Calif.--Feb. 13, 2003--Ceradyne, Inc. has been awarded a $3.7 million Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) contract by the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia for the U.S. Army. This new order is on an expedited basis and is scheduled to be completed early April 2003.
    Joel Moskowitz, Ceradyne chief executive officer, commented, "Ceradyne is committed to redirecting its efforts on a priority basis, whenever needed, to assure our soldiers have the finest protection available. Recent input to Ceradyne from the military indicates that lightweight ceramic armor is directly responsible for saving American lives in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Middle East."
    Ceradyne develops, manufactures and markets advanced technical ceramics for industrial, electronic, defense and consumer applications. Additional information about the Company can be found at www.ceradyne.com.

    Except for the historical information contained herein, certain matters discussed in this news release constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. The Company may use words such as "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "expects," "intends," "future," and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Further risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001, and in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2002, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.