TEWKSBURY, Mass., March 27, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Four current or retired Raytheon employees received the Missile Defense Technology Pioneer Award at the 4th Annual Missile Defense Conference in Washington, D.C., March 24.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering III, director of the Missile Defense Agency, presented the awards for significant contributions in missile defense to Dr. John Krasnakevich, principal engineering fellow and technical director for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) Missile Defense business area; Stephen B. Peth, retired vice president, Air and Missile Defense Programs, and former system element manager for the Strategic Defense Initiative organization; Mike Leal, director, Advanced Missile Defense Programs at Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS); and William Carpenter, retired vice president, Ballistic Missile Defense Advanced Programs at RMS.

"It's an honor to have our employees recognized for their groundbreaking work in missile defense," said Raytheon IDS President Dan Smith. "Raytheon is proud to be playing a leadership role in the development of a robust Ballistic Missile Defense System capable of defending our nation, our deployed forces, friends and allies."

Krasnakevich and Peth were honored along with William Z. Lemnios of MIT Lincoln Laboratory for their collaboration, vision and teamwork in developing the X-Band Family of Radars, which eliminated the duplication of sensor development. The Raytheon IDS Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) radar, Ground-Based Radar-Prototype, Ballistic Missile Defense System radar, and Sea Based X-Band radar were all derived from the X-Band Family of Radar modular design with common components at a significant savings in both time and money to the government. The work of Krasnakevich, Peth and Lemnios made possible the early testing of the THAAD and the National Missile Defense System and the ongoing deployment of the Ballistic Missile Defense System Testbed.

Leal, Carpenter and Richard Matlock of the Missile Defense Agency were recognized for their vision, drive and innovation in defining and executing the Lightweight Exoatmospheric Projectile (LEAP) program, a pioneer in the development of small, miniaturized kill vehicle (KV) technology.

The LEAP program demonstrated the utility of small, ship-based interceptors, and paved the way for today's Standard Missile-3 Kinetic Warhead, the lethal element of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, which has successfully intercepted six ballistic missile targets in seven attempts. The innovative discrimination technology used in the LEAP KV has also been incorporated in the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency introduced the Technology Pioneer Award this year to recognize individuals and teams who have contributed to the advancement of science and technology to enable the development of missile defense concepts.

Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Joint Battlespace Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a strong international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. armed forces.

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.

  Contacts:
   Joyce Melikian
   Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems
   339.645.6967

   Sara Hammond
   Raytheon Missile Systems
   520.794.7810

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Joyce Melikian of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems,
+1-339-645-6967; or Sara Hammond of Raytheon Missile Systems, +1-520-794-7810

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