MDA to provide information solution for EADS Astrium

    RICHMOND, BC, Oct. 20 /CNW/ - MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.
(TSX:MDA), a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that
its Montreal operation has signed a contract in excess of $10 million (CAD)
with EADS Astrium to provide an information solution for the Alphasat I-XL
mission to augment its Broadband Global Area Network service for telephone and
Internet.
    Under this contract, MDA will provide EADS Astrium with a high power
satellite antenna feed for the Alphasat spacecraft, one of the world's largest
telecommunications satellites. The MDA antenna feed forms an integral part of
the L-Band Active Mobile Antenna within the Alphasat payload. It comprises 120
identical mobile antenna elements, which provides simultaneous data
transmission and reception over Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

    About MDA

    MDA provides advanced information solutions that capture and process vast
amounts of data, produce essential information, and improve the decision
making and operational performance of business and government organizations
worldwide.
    Focused on markets and customers with strong repeat business potential,
MDA delivers a broad spectrum of information solutions, ranging from complex
operational systems, to tailored information services, to electronic
information products.
    MDA employs more than 3,300 people in locations across the United States,
the United Kingdom, and Canada. The Company's common shares trade on the
Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol TSX:MDA.

    
    Related Websites:

    www.mdacorporation.com
    www.eads.com

    Forward-Looking Statements
    --------------------------
    This release contains forward-looking statements and information, which
reflect the current view of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. with
respect to future events and financial performance. Any such forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and MDA's actual results of
operations could differ materially from historical results or current
expectations. Additional information on these and other potential factors that
could affect MDA's financial results are detailed in documents filed from time
to time with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities.

    The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the form
    or content of this release.
    

For further information:

For further information: Wendy Keyzer, MDA External Relations, (604)
231-2743, wendy@mdacorporation.com