EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 11, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- The C-295 military transport of the Team JCA partnership of Raytheon and EADS CASA North America has been selected by the U.S. Army to proceed to Phase II evaluation of the Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program.

"Team JCA is happy that the C-295 transport has advanced to Phase II," said Jim Hvizd, vice president of Team JCA. "Our C-295 is the only battle-proven and operational military transport aircraft in the JCA competition fully certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to get to the fight anywhere in the world. We look forward to participating in aircraft evaluation and firmly believe that the C-295 will distinguish itself yet again as the most effective intratheater lift solution for the vital dual mission of protecting the homeland and supporting our soldiers on the battlefield."

During Phase II evaluation, the JCA joint program office will examine aircraft system performance based on proposals offered by industry. The first C-295 JCA aircraft to be equipped with systems that would be used by Army and Air Force crews during evaluation has completed flight test and validation. This aircraft is ready to participate in the early-user-survey demonstration, where it will showcase not only its unmatched performance but also the strength of Team JCA's worldwide logistics and support network.

The Team JCA C-295, the latest member of the CN-235/C-295/C-212 family of military transports, is the only combat-tested and operational aircraft competing for the JCA requirement. It is also the only aircraft offered for the JCA requirement that is currently certified by the FAA. The C-295 is completing its seventh year of JCA-type lift missions with the armed services of Spain, Poland, Algeria and Jordan and is in production for Brazil, Portugal and Finland. It has also won formal competitions in Australia, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

The C-295 benefits from more than 1 million JCA-type flights by this family of military transport aircraft, a milestone no other JCA competitor can claim. With the greatest floor space in its class, the C-295 can carry five pallets and 61 people, exceeding the capacity of any other JCA competitor and therefore protecting more soldiers in combat from improvised explosive devices, which they otherwise would have to avoid on the ground. The capabilities of the C-295 have been proven in combat by coalition partners in Iraq and Afghanistan, where it remains on active service today.

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 special-mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.

EADS CASA North America, a U.S. corporation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS North America and the representative organization of EADS CASA in Spain. The company offers a complete range of military transport aircraft, including mission aircraft from the heavy lifter A400M now under development to the reliable and world-renowned C-295, CN-235 and C-212. EADS CASA supports customers who operate more than 700 C-212, CN 235 and C-295 military transport aircraft in 50 countries.

  Contact:
  Lorenzo Cortes
  310.334.4431

  Lawrence Stein (EADS North America)
  703.236.3326

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Lorenzo Cortes of Raytheon Company, +1-310-334-4431; or
Lawrence Stein of EADS North America, +1-703-236-3326

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