TEWKSBURY, Mass., May 23, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- The Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE) presented its 2007 Chairman's Small Business Innovation Award to Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) for its continued support of small businesses and technology companies in New England.

"Raytheon has fostered a culture of identifying innovation in small business and partnering with those businesses on government contracts," said Edward Ostrowski, SBANE chairman, during 2007 New England Innovations Awards dinner held last week in Waltham, Mass. "It is unusually innovative for a big business to seek solutions from small business," Ostrowski said.

"Our world needs your ideas and your energy," said Dan Smith, IDS president, thanking small business owners for their innovation, expertise and perseverance.

In accepting the award on behalf of IDS, Smith spoke about the positive impact that partnering with small businesses has had on IDS' success.

Smith said that the innovation award validates and reinforces the company's commitment to OpenAIR™, IDS' business model for bringing together the best of large and small businesses and academia to ensure that the customer gets the best affordable solution.

Integrated Defense Systems is Raytheon's leader in Joint Battlespace Integration providing affordable, integrated solutions to a broad international and domestic customer base, including the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security.

Raytheon Company, with 2006 sales of $20.3 billion, is a technology leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 85 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 73,000 people worldwide.

  Contact:
  Guy Shields
  978.858.5246

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Guy Shields of Raytheon Company, +1-978-858-5246

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