United Defense Virginia Shipyard Awarded DDG Contract

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

Jackie Kreisler, Media
United States Marine Repair
kreislerj@baesystems.com
(619) 557-4289

NORFOLK, VA, January 31, 2005 - United Defense Industries, Inc. (NYSE:UDI) received a $2 million, fixed-price contract for work on USS RAMAGE (DDG-61) home ported in Norfolk.

The contract, awarded to NORSHIPCO by the Supervisor of Shipbuilding and Repair, Portsmouth, VA, is scheduled to begin on March 30, 2005, and complete on June 1, 2005. The work package includes various ship alterations, preservation, structural and piping repairs, deck covering and non-skid repairs.

About United Defense
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 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.