EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 30, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- William Hart has assumed leadership of the space business of Raytheon Company .

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Hart, who joined Raytheon in 1975, was named vice president for Space Systems. He succeeds Brian Arnold, who was appointed vice president for space strategy.

"As a proven leader, Bill is uniquely qualified for this position because of his professional experience in program management and execution, all of which have been historically on cost and on schedule," said Jon Jones, president of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, of which the Space Systems group is a part.

In his new role, Hart will lead and manage the Space Systems suite of programs, establishing plans and strategies, setting the vision and direction of the organization, and leading change-management efforts, Jones said. Before his promotion, Hart had been a program management executive at the company's Integrated Defense Systems business.

Arnold, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general, is a former commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base. In that role, he managed research, design, development, acquisition and sustainment of space launch, command and control, missile and satellite systems.

"Brian's extensive experience on the industry and customer sides makes him the perfect person to lead this important new business effort," Jones said.

In his new capacity, Arnold will be responsible for understanding the future needs of the customer and providing viable solutions to address them. He will drive the development of plans to expand core markets, working closely with the customer and scientific communities.

Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems is a leading provider of sensor systems giving military forces the most accurate and timely actionable information available for the network-centric battlefield. With 2007 revenues of $4.3 billion and 12,000 employees, SAS is headquartered in El Segundo, Calif. Additional facilities are in Goleta, Calif.; Forest, Miss.; Dallas, McKinney and Plano, Texas; and several international locations.

Raytheon Company, with 2008 sales of $23.2 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 87 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 73,000 people worldwide.

    Contact:
    John Barksdale
    310.647.8224

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SOURCE: Raytheon Company

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