FARNBOROUGH, England, July 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) all-up-round Standard Missile production facility in Huntsville, Ala., is nearing completion. The state-of-the-art factory, located on the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, should be completed before the end of the year. Once operational, the 70,000 square-foot facility will assemble and test Standard Missile-3 and SM-6 interceptors.

"This factory will be an asset to our nation and the men and women defending freedom around the world," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, Raytheon Missile Systems president. "SM-3 and SM-6 are important parts of the nation's advanced missile defense capability; the new factory will play a critical role in providing a missile defense shield to the nation and our allies in Europe."  

The new production facility will feature advanced tools and the latest processes for missile production. The advanced technology will enable Raytheon to streamline processes, reduce costs and add increased value for the warfighter.

The first SM-6 is scheduled to be produced from the new facility in February 2013, and initial SM-3s are scheduled to be delivered the following quarter.

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2011 sales of $25 billion and 71,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 90 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. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter at @raytheon.

Note to Editors
Raytheon announced plans for the Alabama missile facility during the 2010 Farnborough International Airshow.

Media Contacts
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Doug Shores
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rmspr@raytheon.com

SOURCE Raytheon Company