EL SEGUNDO, Calif., March 6, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Raytheon Company is leading an industry effort to answer the military's need for the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program.

Reflecting U.S. military requirements for a joint, interdependent military transport solution, Team FCA, composed of Raytheon and EADS CASA North America, recently changed its name to Team JCA. Team JCA is offering the combat-proven C-295 and CN-235 military transport aircraft for the mission requirements. More than 250 of these aircraft are in service around the world operating with allies and coalition partners. The aircraft are supporting ongoing coalition operations in Iraq as well.

"Military leadership has said that interdependence and interoperability are essential elements of future joint operations," said Jim Hvizd, Raytheon vice president of Team JCA. "Team JCA is the only industry team offering a flexible, combat-proven military solution that meets both Army and Air Force needs for light and medium cargo lift missions -- meeting the operational demands of interdependent U.S. and coalition forces supporting the last mile and more."

"The superior mission performance, capability and value of Team JCA's C-295 and CN-235 aircraft have been proven many times over with allied countries around the world in the most demanding combat and peace keeping operations," said Jose Morales, CEO EADS CASA North America.

JCA will be a vital component of both Army and Air Force aviation. When fielded as a replacement for C-23 Sherpa transports, JCA will provide a tactical transport capability for Army units in the field and also for the delivery of important cargo for homeland security missions. JCA will also provide the Air Force with a crucial fixed-wing cargo lift capability historically performed with aircraft such as the C-7 and C-123.

Team JCA will provide a complete solution including the aircraft system, training, logistics and mission support. Team JCA's unique mission support program is based on Raytheon's integrated solution sets that predict customer needs, sense potential problems and proactively respond with solutions so military personnel can focus on their missions.

Team JCA's logistics support reach includes more than 50 countries and 36 states, including the Army's required support locations. Currently Team JCA has 56 U.S. domestic service centers and a global network of international service centers, which fully meet the Army's requirements.

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2005 sales of $21.9 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 employs 80,000 people worldwide.

  Contact:
  Lorenzo Cortes
  310.503.3089

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Lorenzo Cortes of Raytheon Company, +1-310-503-3089

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