EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., March 31, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) delivered an operationally significant quantity of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy to the U.S. Air Force. This delivery allows the U.S. Air Force to reach its "required assets available" as scheduled.

"The commander of Air Combat Command now has the necessary quantity of decoys and support equipment to train, equip and deploy his forces with this mission-essential system," said Ken Watson, the U.S. Air Force's MALD™ program manager. "Raytheon committed to a 2010 delivery schedule in 2003, and the company delivered as promised, meeting its Air Force obligation."

MALD is a state-of-the-art, low-cost flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched and programmable. It weighs less than 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 nautical miles (about 575 statute miles). Currently integrated on the B-52 bomber and F-16 fighter aircraft, MALD can be certified on any aircraft with a 14-inch suspension carriage.

Raytheon will continue to deliver additional MALDs to the U.S. Air Force to enable the service to meet other training and deployment commitments. The company continues to make progress developing a jamming variant of the MALD and expects to deliver its first system to the U.S. Air Force in 2012.

"We know how important this system is to the U.S. Air Force and made early delivery a priority," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems product line. "With the help of our patriotic and dedicated employees, Air Force partners and invaluable suppliers, we pulled out all the stops and met our 2010 commitment."

Raytheon Company, with 2009 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 88 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 75,000 people worldwide.

Note to Editors:

More than 125 Raytheon employees design and build the MALD and MALD-J in Tucson, Ariz.; Goleta, Calif.; and El Segundo, Calif.

Hundreds of employees in scores of businesses across the U.S. design and manufacture MALD and MALD-J components. Major suppliers include: AML Communications, Camarillo, Calif.; AUSCO, Port Washington, N.Y.; BAE, Berthoud, Colo.; CEI, Sacramento, Calif.; Celestica, Austin, Texas; Eagle Pitcher, Joplin, Mo.; EDO, Bohemia, N.Y.; Enser, Pinellas Park, Fla.; Engineered Fabrics Corp, Rockmart, Ga.; GDOTS, Redmond, Wash.; Hamilton-Sundstrand, Rockford, Ill.; Hamilton-Sundstrand, San Diego; LaBarge, Joplin, Mo.; Moog, East Aurora, N.Y.; Tecom, Westlake Village, Calif.

SOURCE Raytheon Company