MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Oct. 29, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy has successfully conducted the first large-scale test of Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Deep Siren tactical paging system.

Deep Siren enables operational commanders anywhere in the world to contact a submerged submarine, regardless of its speed or depth. This capability solves one of the most significant shortfalls in submarine communications.

Raytheon's Deep Siren system employs acoustic, expendable buoys that, when contacted through the Global Information Grid, enable long-range communications.

"Deep Siren is a critical technology for the Navy's first generation of undersea FORCEnet communications efforts," said Jerry Powlen, vice president, Network Centric Systems' Integrated Communications Systems. "Employing this technology enables the submarine fleet to be connected to the network while actively participating in military operations."

In April 2008, the Navy began a comprehensive test of the Deep Siren tactical paging system for the Navy's Communications at Speed and Depth program. Initial testing demonstrated successful results when the Deep Siren buoy was deployed over the side of a surface vessel.

In June, a Navy submarine deployed 12 Deep Siren communications gateway buoys at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center deep water range in the Bahamas. The buoys successfully reached the surface establishing direct connectivity between the commander of the Submarine Force test team in Norfolk, Va., and the submarine.

In August, the Operational Test and Evaluation Force conducted the final test event, a military utility assessment, when a Navy submarine successfully deployed Deep Siren buoys. With successful test results, Raytheon is ready to move forward to production.

Raytheon is partnering with Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems and RRK Technologies Ltd. to deliver this initial capability. The Raytheon team expects this technology will easily transition and be deployed from ships and aircraft, in addition to submarines.

Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 86 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.

Note to Editors:

Raytheon's Deep Siren solution includes a satellite communications command station, an acoustic receiver decoding station on board a submarine, and a communications gateway buoy that floats on the ocean surface and converts received SATCOM messages to underwater acoustic transmissions.

For all test events, the SUBFOR test team, Norfolk, Va., established communications via the Deep Siren command station with the deployed buoys via the Iridium satellite network, delivering several hundred acoustic messages to the submarine with performance that exceeded requirements.

Submarines routinely initiate communications or adhere to previously established communication schedules to make contact with commanders. This process introduces operational time delays and severely limits a submarine's ability to fully participate across the spectrum of naval missions.

Official tests results from the outcome of the August Military Utility Assessment are expected in December.

  Contact:
  MB Hodgkiss
  508.490.2607

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: MB Hodgkiss of Raytheon Company, +1-508-490-2607

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