TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ --The U.S. Army has executed a Letter
of Agreement (LOA) setting the stage for the sale of the Javelin anti-tank
weapon system to Australia in support of its Project Land 40-1 requirement.
Project Land 40-1 calls for a Direct Fire Guided Weapon system that will
equip the Australian Army's infantry, cavalry and commando units. The
Australian armed forces effectively employed Javelin in combat during
Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
The signing of the LOA will result in a contract award to the Raytheon-
Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture of approximately $60 million US. The
Australian sale represents one of seven international customers that have
selected Javelin over the past year and a half.
"Javelin's lethality and combat proven performance coupled with its low
life cycle cost provides the Australian armed forces with the best anti-armor
weapon system in the world," said Col. Lloyd McDaniels, U.S. Army Close Combat
Weapon Systems (CCWS) project manager. "In Afghanistan and Iraq the Javelin
not only proved to be a superior tank killer, but was extremely effective
against buildings and field fortifications and for surveillance operations."
"With its sophisticated missile seeker and tracker, the lightweight, one
man-transportable Javelin has proven to be the soldier's best means of
engaging a full spectrum of target sets with well over 90 percent first-time
gunner success rate," said Mike Crisp, president of the Javelin Joint Venture.
"Additionally, Javelin has tremendous growth potential with the missile's
modular construction, command launch unit (CLU) software enhancements and its
adaptability to a wide range of platforms."
"Javelin has proven to be more than just the world's most lethal medium
range anti-armor system, but with the CLU's stand-alone surveillance
capability, it is ideally suited for peacekeeping and peace enforcement
operations," said Howard Weaver, Javelin Joint Venture vice president.
Raytheon Company, which leads the joint venture, provides system
engineering management and support for the Javelin Joint Venture and produces
the CLU, missile guidance electronic unit and system software. Work is
performed primarily at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz., and at other
Raytheon facilities in Texas, Massachusetts, California and the United
Kingdom.
Lockheed Martin provides missile engineering and production support for
the Javelin Joint Venture in Orlando, Fla., produces the missile seeker in
Ocala, Fla., and performs missile all-up-round assembly in Troy, Ala.
The Javelin medium-range, anti-tank missile system is the world's first
one man-transportable and employable fire-and-forget anti-armor missile
system. The compact, lightweight Javelin is ideally suited for one-soldier
operation in all environments (extreme cold, heat and wet conditions,
indicative of mountain, desert and jungle climates). Australia's decision to
purchase Javelin ensures their military's interoperability with the U.S. Army,
Marine Corps and Special Operations Forces' deployed worldwide. Javelin is
approved for international sales through the U.S. Army's Foreign Military
Sales system and is available to meet national requirements for next-
generation anti-armor weapon systems.
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2002 sales of $16.8 billion, is an
industry leader in defense, government and commercial electronics, space,
information technology, technical services, and business and special mission
aircraft. With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon employs more than
76,000 people worldwide.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a global
enterprise principally engaged in research, design, development, manufacture
and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The
corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space aeronautics and
technology services.
Contacts:
Raytheon
Barbara Starr
520.794.8580
Lockheed Martin
Joy Sabol
321.276.2044
Amanda Wiley
407.356.5351
SOURCE Raytheon-Lockheed Martin
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Related links:
http://www.raytheon.com
CONTACT:
Barbara Starr of Raytheon Company,
+1-520-794-8580; or Joy Sabol, +1-321-276-2044, or Amanda Wiley,
+1-407-356-5351, both of Lockheed Martin
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