Land Attack Standard Missile Concept Demonstration Concludes With Successful Flight Test.

LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 1998--Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTNA)(NYSE:RTNB) announced today that a Land Attack Standard Missile (LASM) met all program objectives during a flight test conducted last month at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. LASM is being developed by Raytheon Systems Company, a unit of Raytheon Company. LASM is the naval surface fire support version of Standard Missile in development for the U. S. Navy. Its mission is to provide rapid and precise fire support for frontline U. S. Army and Marine Corps forces in battle.

Last month's flight specifically tested the LASM MK 125 warhead's performance. The warhead successfully detonated above the ground after the missile flew more than 50 nautical miles on a pre-programmed flight path to a specific target arena.

The test marked the third in a series of successful LASM concept demonstration flight tests. The Navy conducted tests in the fall of 1997 and last spring. Last month's test employed a modified MK 125 warhead carried by a modified Standard Missile-2 Block IIIA. The MK 125 warhead is currently deployed on Standard Missile-2 Block IIIA, IIIB, and IV. It also is planned for deployment on the future Standard Missile-2 Block IVA.

LASM's terminal trajectory enhances effectiveness of the modified MK 125 warhead in a land attack role. The warhead's initiation system was modified to compensate for the missile's downward velocity. The Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va., is responsible for warhead design and verification.

"This test series has been a major success for Raytheon and the Navy as it fully demonstrated the capability of LASM against land-based targets," says Jerry Lockard, Raytheon Systems Company vice president of the Missile Systems business unit. "We now stand ready to move into engineering and manufacturing development."

The Navy recently endorsed LASM, citing it as the most cost effective, near-term solution for the surface fire support mission. By reusing and modifying more than 800 Standard Missiles, the Navy obtains a strong warfighting capability at a significant cost saving. The Navy plans to deploy LASM on its AEGIS force with initial operational capability no later than 2003.

Raytheon Company, based in Lexington, Mass., is a global technology leader that provides products and services in the areas of commercial and defense electronics, engineering and construction, and business and special mission aircraft. Raytheon has operations throughout the United States and serves customers in more than 80 countries around the world.