Ceradyne, Inc. Receives $14.3 Million Add-On Order for SAPI Armor; Recent Multi-Year SAPI Contract Amended

COSTA MESA, Calif.--Oct. 1, 20033, 2003--Ceradyne, Inc. received a $14.3 million add-on order for small arms protective inserts (SAPI) for delivery in 2004, under an amendment to the $29 million SAPI order announced on September 29, 2003, bringing the total SAPI orders scheduled for 2004 delivery to more than $43 million. The amendment was issued by the same U.S. Department of Defense office as the original multi-year contract.

Joel Moskowitz, Ceradyne chief executive officer, commented: "We are pleased to receive this additional order and will be able to produce these SAPI plates with the current production line that is in place in Costa Mesa, California. Additionally, we are expanding our armor production capacity in anticipation of further government requirements."

Ceradyne develops, manufactures and markets advanced technical ceramic products and components for defense, industrial, automotive/diesel and commercial 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. These risks and uncertainties are described in the Company's prospectus dated July 1, 2003 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.