TEWKSBURY, Mass., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has
been awarded an initial $17 million contract to upgrade the U.S. Navy's low-
earth orbit space object tracking system.  With options, the award has a
potential value of $396 million through 2010.
    The U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif.
awarded the contract to Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business.  The
Naval Space Surveillance System (NSSS) supports multiple space-related
missions aimed at protecting the Navy's surface fleet from space threats.
NSSS produces and maintains a space object catalogue using data collected from
its space tracking system.  To upgrade the 40-year-old system, Raytheon will
replace the current VHF sensors across the southern United States with more
sensitive S-band radars.  This upgrade will dramatically improve the system's
capability for tracking and cataloguing smaller space objects.
    "This is an important victory for the Raytheon team," said Ed Franklin,
president of Integrated Defense Systems.  "Our team and our systems will
ensure the Navy and our national space program will continue to complete their
missions on land, on sea, in the air and in space."
    Raytheon won the contract in competition with teams from ITT, Northrop
Grumman and Lockheed Martin.  Work on the contract will be performed in
Andover and Sudbury, Mass.

    Based in Tewksbury, Mass., Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems provides
integrated air and missile defense and naval and maritime warfighting systems,
including modeling and simulation capabilities for the U.S. Missile Defense
Agency, and strong global integrated capabilities for Army, Navy, Marine Corp,
and technology customers.
    With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon Company is a global leader
in defense, government and commercial electronics and business and special
mission aircraft.

   Contact:
   Steve Brecken
   781.999.2222

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