EL SEGUNDO, Calif., March 6, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company has delivered the first Block 06 sensor payload for the missile-detection Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) to prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corporation in Redondo Beach, Calif.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060306/NEM018 )

This delivery, by Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS), marks a major milestone toward the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) objective of providing a space-based tracking capability.

"As a company committed to delivering systems our customers know will work every time all the time, we are proud to support missile defense with this first of two STSS payloads," said SAS President Jon Jones.

The STSS program is planned to be part of the MDA's development of a ballistic missile defense system. STSS is a system composed of low-orbit satellites with ground-based stations to support a multi-layered defense architecture solution.

The Block 06 payload developed by Raytheon consists of an infra-red acquisition-and-track sensor suite that will be integrated into STSS satellites. This early-warning missile detection technology enables critical acquisition and tracking above and below the horizon. The payload further contributes to acquiring and tracking missile events from lift-off through midcourse in real-time.

With seamless data interoperability with other missile defense systems, the sensors support superior long-range threat detection of missiles in midcourse flight and provide improved flexibility, greater capability and more reliable, faster intelligence to combat-theater commanders. Northrop Grumman is responsible for the Block 06 satellites as the STSS prime contractor.

With 2005 revenues of $4.2 billion and 13,000 employees, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems is a leading provider of sensor systems and is headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., with additional facilities in Goleta, Calif.; Forest, Miss.; Dallas, McKinney and Plano, Texas; and several international locations.

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2005 sales of $20.2 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employees 80,000 people worldwide.

  Contact:
   Sabrina Steele
   310.647.9067
   sksteele@raytheon.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060306/NEM018
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Sabrina Steele of Raytheon Company, +1-310-647-9067,
sksteele@raytheon.com

Web site: http://www.raytheon.com/