TEWKSBURY, Mass., March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has completed all system requirements and testing of the Upgraded Early Warning Radar at Thule Air Base, Greenland. With this upgrade, the UEWR at Thule is ready to conduct the missile defense mission as a critical component of the Ballistic Missile Defense System.

"The Raytheon-led team delivered solid program performance and flawless execution during the Thule upgrade," said Dave Gulla, vice president National & Theater Security Programs for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "Our ability to leverage the technical knowledge and real-world experience from the previous upgrades at Beale and Fylingdales enabled us to deliver a system that meets current and future operational needs on time and under budget."

The UEWR program leverages Raytheon's more than 70-year heritage of developing innovative and reliable radar solutions, which includes nearly all of today's ballistic missile defense radars. The UEWRs add missile defense capabilities to the Raytheon-developed PAVE PAWS and Ballistic Missile Early Warning Systems radars. Thule Air Base is the third site Raytheon has upgraded to the new UEWR configuration. Additional UEWR locations are Beale Air Force Base, Calif., and Royal Air Force Fylingdales, United Kingdom.

The UEWR provides early detection and precise tracking of incoming ballistic missiles, as well as quick, accurate determination of threat versus non-threat objects. It supports the intercept of threatening ballistic missiles above the atmosphere, while concurrently performing early warning and space surveillance missions.

Raytheon Company, with 2010 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 89 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:

Previous milestones for the UEWR at Thule Air Force Base include

Upgraded Early Warning Radar in Greenland Achieves Satellite Tracking in Record Time

Upgraded Early Warning Radar in Greenland Completes Construction Phase

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SOURCE Raytheon Company