United Defense Announces 4th Quarter 2004 Earnings Release Date and Conference Call Information

Contact:
Jayne Schmitt, Investor Relations
United Defense
jayne.schmitt@baesystems.com
(703) 312-6122

Doug Coffey, Media
United Defense
doug.coffey@baesystems.com
(703) 312-6121

ARLINGTON, VA - January 18, 2005 - United Defense Industries, Inc. (NYSE:UDI) announced today that it will release its earnings for 4th quarter 2004 on Thursday, January 27, 2005 before the open of the market.

In conjunction with this release, United Defense will host a conference call on the same day at 10:00 AM ET, which will be simultaneously broadcast live over the Internet. Tom Rabaut, President and Chief Executive Officer, Buzz Raborn, Chief Financial Officer, and Jayne Schmitt, Vice President - Investor Relations, will host the call.

Listeners may access United Defense’s quarterly conference call live at 10:00 a.m. ET, January 27, over the Internet, through a link in the Investors section of United Defense’s Web site at http://www.udlp.com/ir/webcast.htm. The dial-in-number to access this operator-assisted call is toll free 800.289.0493 or toll (International): 913.981.5540, using Confirmation Code 2141444. Please allow fifteen minutes prior to the call to visit the site to download and install any necessary audio software.

If you are unable to listen to the live call, please access www.uniteddefense.com or call 1.888.203.1112, using Confirmation Code 2141444, at any time beginning after 2:00 pm on the release day through February 2, 2005 to listen to a replay of the web cast.

About United Defense Industries
United Defense designs, develops and produces combat vehicles, artillery, naval guns, missile launchers and precision munitions used by the U.S. Department of Defense and allies worldwide, and provides non-nuclear ship repair, modernization and conversion to the U.S. Navy and other U.S. Government agencies. To learn more about United Defense, visit http://www.uniteddefense.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Information in this release may involve guidance, expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to United Defense Industries, Inc., as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward looking statements. The statements in this release are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences. Please refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10 K for the year ended December 31, 2003 as well as its Quarterly Report on Form 10 Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2004, and in our other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of the factors and risks associated with our business.