PRESS RELEASE Tuesday May 22, 1:00 am ET

Dassault Systèmes, a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced that Airbus has adopted the Abaqus Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software from SIMULIA, the Dassault Systèmes brand for realistic simulation, as its preferred solution for static nonlinear FEA.

This decision comes as a result of an extensive benchmark of several FEA codes. The Abaqus FEA software has already been successfully applied on the A380 aircraft program for structural virtual testing, and represents a first step in what is to develop into a longer term collaborative relationship.

"This announcement reinforces the fact that the world's leading companies see nonlinear FEA technology as a key enabler for delivering realistic simulations with high-fidelity correlation to the physical world,"

said Dr. Ken Short, vice president of strategy & marketing, SIMULIA.

"By providing the best technology, quality, and customer support in the industry, our realistic simulation solutions enable customers to gain significant business benefits by leveraging virtual testing throughout the enterprise."

According to a multiyear corporate agreement, Dassault Systèmes will provide software and services to Airbus sites located in Toulouse (France), Filton (U.K.), Hamburg/Bremen (Germany), and Getafe (Spain). Airbus will use the Abaqus FEA software for supporting development of advanced virtual testing methods. Airbus is an EADS company.