TEWKSBURY, Mass., Oct. 29, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) radar built by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) performed successfully in the latest integrated THAAD flight test conducted by the Missile Defense Agency and THAAD prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii Oct. 27.

The test resulted in the successful intercept of an "exoatmospheric" (outside the Earth's atmosphere), unitary target over the Pacific Ocean and demonstrated fully integrated radar, launcher, fire control, missile and engagement functions of the THAAD weapon system.

"For the third time this year, Raytheon's THAAD components have demonstrated outstanding performance in a critical missile defense test," said Pete Franklin, vice president, National & Theater Security Programs, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. "This latest success confirms the THAAD's ability to protect our nation's vital assets and moves us closer to putting a reliable and affordable terminal missile defense capability into the hands of our warfighters."

The THAAD radar, a key component for missile defense developed by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, achieved all test objectives: acquiring the target, discriminating the lethal object, providing track and discrimination data to the fire control and communicating with the in-flight THAAD interceptor. The fire control software, jointly developed by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, also performed successfully, engaging the target and initializing the launch sequence.

Raytheon's THAAD radar is a phased array, capable of search, threat detection, classification, discrimination and precision tracking at extremely long ranges. THAAD is a key element of the Missile Defense Agency's Ballistic Missile Defense System, providing to any combatant commander deployable ground-based missile defense components that deepen, extend and complement the system to defeat ballistic missiles of short-to-intermediate range. THAAD's combination of high-altitude, long-range capability and hit-to-kill lethality enables it to effectively negate the effects of weapons of mass destruction over a wide area.

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:
  Joyce Melikian
  339.645.6967

SOURCE: Raytheon Company

CONTACT: Joyce Melikian of Raytheon Company, +1-339-645-6967

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