MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 15, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is ready to deliver the Navy Multiband Terminal satellite communication system to the U.S. Navy for formal tests to begin later this week.

NMT is a system of submarine, shore-based and shipboard communications terminals for the transformational SATCOM component of the U.S. Navy's FORCEnet concept.

"We have successfully completed rigorous testing and performance verification with our innovative, production-ready design," said Colin Schottlaender, president, Network Centric Systems. "Raytheon has 30-years of experience and expertise in naval communications, and we are providing a mature, ready and reliable solution."

Raytheon also completed additional readiness milestones, including rugged environment testing of its NMT, two years ahead of schedule.

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, on behalf of its organizational partner, the Navy's Program Executive Office for C4I, expects to downselect the NMT contract to a single performer in the third quarter of fiscal 2007.

Raytheon's NMT solution builds upon the existing library of stable, non- proprietary software in the Department of Defense -- software developed and fielded by Raytheon in more than 900 military SATCOM terminals delivered and used in global operations.

"By building on a foundation of proven technology, Raytheon has reduced cost to the government and mitigated the risk associated with developing new and complex systems," added Schottlaender. "Most significantly, this means NMT can be fielded on time and will provide reliable performance for the warfighter."

Raytheon's NMT provides warfighters worldwide connectivity through existing DoD satellites and also delivers technically advanced software solutions for new Wideband Global SATCOM satellites, scheduled to be in service in 2007, and Advanced Extremely High Frequency due in 2010.

Raytheon Company, with 2006 sales of $20.3 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 more than 80,000 people worldwide.

Note to Editors:

NMT provides the bandwidth efficiency that allows naval information networks to extend seamlessly from individual ships and submarines to other networks around the globe. NMT replaces three separate systems currently deployed in the U.S. Navy, extending the submarine and shipboard capability from Extremely High Frequency waveforms to Advanced EHF and providing global broadcast system, X- band and Ka-band services.

   Contact:
   MB Hodgkiss
   508.490.2607

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: MB Hodgkiss of Raytheon Company, +1-508-490-2607

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