TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 17  /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company has delivered the
first deployable flight elements of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Ground-
based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program from its Missile Defense Kinetic Kill
Vehicle production facility in Tucson, Ariz.

    The Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) payload is designed to intercept
hostile ballistic missile targets outside the atmosphere in the midcourse
phase of flight.  The delivered payloads evolved from the EKV design that has
been successfully flight tested over the last four years.  By September,
Raytheon will have delivered all required EKVs for the GMD program's initial
deployment and testing.

    The initial payloads are the first of 20 kill vehicles scheduled for
delivery over the next two years for deployment at Fort Greely, Alaska, and
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.  To satisfy the GMD deployment requirements,
Raytheon built a world-class manufacturing facility combining the quality of
spacecraft manufacturing and the cost efficiency of high-rate missile
production.

    "Delivery of the initial EKVs marks a significant milestone in meeting the
December 2002 presidential directive to deploy an initial missile defense
capability for the United States," said Paul J. Walker, Raytheon vice
president for Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicles.  "The delivery of these payloads
is the result of the commitment and dedication of employees from both Raytheon
and the entire EKV team.  Raytheon is proud to provide our fellow citizens
with the ability to defend our homeland against the threat of ballistic
missiles carrying weapons of mass destruction."

    Raytheon is also responsible for the manufacture and deployment of the
Standard Missile-3 interceptor for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense
program, which provides the capability to intercept ballistic missile threats
from forward-deployed Aegis ships.  Raytheon is also providing the Sea-Based
X-band (SBX) and Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) for the GMD segment, the
Space Tracking and Surveillance System payload, the BMDS Radar, and THAAD
radar and battle management software.  The Boeing Company is the prime
contractor for the Ground-based Missile Defense program.

    Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2003 sales of $18.1 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 78,000 people worldwide.


  Contact:
   Sara Hammond
   520.794.7810


SOURCE: Raytheon Company

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