EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Dec. 12, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Designed to spot terrestrial targets and built in a matter of months, Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) first rapid-development space-optical payload was delivered recently to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.

"This hyper-spectral imaging sensor is a milestone toward demonstrating the feasibility of the United States' operational responsive space concept," said Brian Arnold, vice president for Raytheon's Strategic Systems business.

The $14 million ARTEMIS (Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer) program required Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems to develop an experimental payload within 15 months that could help troops identify potential threats on the ground such as weapons, equipment and combatants. Sensor development typically involves years of design, manufacturing and testing.

"Completed on cost and on schedule, ARTEMIS paves the way for space assets that can be designed and built rapidly to meet an immediate need by a field commander," Arnold said. "The life expectancy of such payloads is months as opposed to years, allowing Raytheon to place lower-cost, best-value technology solutions in the warfighter's hands in less time."

In the Air Force's responsive-space approach, satellites and their cargo, such as an ARTEMIS payload, would be kept in readiness so systems could be assembled and transported rapidly to a convenient launch site. "Conceivably, a system could be mounted on a satellite, launched and in orbit some 200 miles above the Earth within three to seven days of a request by a field commander," Arnold said.

Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems is the leading provider of sensor systems giving military forces the most accurate and timely information available for the network-centric battlefield. With 2005 revenues of $4.2 billion and 13,000 employees, SAS is headquartered in El Segundo. Additional facilities are in Goleta, Calif.; Forest, Miss.; Dallas, McKinney and Plano, Texas; and several international locations.

Raytheon Company, 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:
  Sabrina Steele
  310.647.9067

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Sabrina Steele of Raytheon Company, +1-310-647-9067

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