Raytheon Consortium to Define 21st Century Digital Radio Architecture.

LEXINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 1999--The U.S. Army Communication-Electronics Command, as the contracting office for Joint Tactical Radio Systems' (JTRS) Joint Program Office, awarded $1.5 million to Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTNA)(NYSE:RTNB) on behalf of the Modular Software-programmable Radio Consortium (MSRC). The award covers JTRS Step 1, Architecture Definition, for the 21st century digital radio.

The JTRS objective is to deploy affordable, interoperable digital communications at all battle levels -- sea, land, air and space. Step 1 will culminate May 7, 1999 with the delivery of a defined architecture and management plan. Both products are expected to guide the Joint Program Office in structuring Step 2 (Architecture Development), after which in Step 3, U.S. military services will procure JTRS products.

Raytheon accepted the award for consortium members ITT Aerospace/Communications Division, Rockwell Collins, Marconi Aerospace Systems, Inc.-CNI Division, and Rooftop Communications. All team efforts will be overseen by academicians from the University of Southern California, Purdue University and the University of Michigan.

Four military communication powerhouses are the nucleus of MSRC. Marconi CNI Division (Wayne, N.J.) is a leading developer of wideband military communication systems and data links. Rockwell-Collins (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) is a leading supplier of communications equipment spanning the very low frequency to extra high frequency range. ITT Aerospace/Communications Division (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) plays a major role in both modern tactical networking systems -- the US Army's Tactical Internet and the United Kingdom's Bowman program. Team leader Raytheon Systems Company (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) is the architect of the Tactical Internet and offers a broad array of integrated communication and battle management systems.

Consortium members have successfully fielded most legacy systems and waveforms related to JTRS. Their skills are documented by performance in such programs as Joint Tactical Terminal, Airborne Communications Node, Wideband Radio Network, Small Unit Operations Situation Awareness System, Digital Modular Radio, Joint Tactical Information Distribution System and Tactical Communications Data Link.

Raytheon Company senior vice president Frank Marchilena said, "The big news is this team. How often do historic competitors-- military communication giants -- join forces? Our collaboration, plus an infusion of commercial sector methods, stamp JTRS with the hallmark of a commercial venture."

The JTRS initiative stems from the Defense Department's need to move away from multiple, incompatible "black boxes" toward a family of radios that can be upgraded at minimal cost as military and commercial technology evolve and that share common application software. Spanning the spectrum of communication missions and based on open system design standards, JTRS's capability can be tailored to individual user needs -- at low cost and with ease.

Marchilena highlighted advantages of the new digital radio: "JTRS lets the 21st century warrior talk to nearly any radio on the battlefield, no matter the age or technology. It works like a laptop -- point, click, and download a waveform. The black box no longer limits battlespace communication."

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.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

MODULAR SOFTWARE-PROGRAMMABLE RADIO CONSORTIUM:

Raytheon Systems Company - 1010 Production Road-Ft. Wayne, Indiana 46808

ITT Aerospace/Communications Division - 1919 West Cook Road- Ft. Wayne, Indiana 46801

Rockwell-Collins - 350 Collins Road NE- Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52498

Marconi Aerospace Systems, Inc. - CNI Division- 164 Totowa Road- Wayne, New Jersey 

Rooftop Communications - 785 Castro Street Mountain View, California 94014

University of Southern California - 4676 Admiralty Way - Marina Del Rey, California 90292

Purdue University - 1285 Electrical Engineering Bldg - West Lafayette, IN 47907

University of Michigan - 1301 Beal - Ann Arbor, MI 48109

FRANK MARCHILENA - is a senior vice president of Raytheon Company and executive vice president and general manager of Raytheon Systems Company's Command, Control, Communication and Information Systems (C3I) segment. As chief executive of the C3I Segment, Mr. Marchilena leads the Communication Systems Division, which specializes in the integration of military communication and battle management systems.

JTRS ACQUISITION: The Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Technology) signed a Joint Tactical Radio system (JTRS) Decision Memorandum, dated 11 September 1997, that established the JTRS initiative and directed a Joint Program Office to be formed. The JPO's mission is to acquire a family of affordable, high-capacity tactical radios to provide interoperable Line-of-Sight/ Beyond Line-of-Sight Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence (C4I) capabilities to the warfighter. To accomplish this mission, JTRS radios will be procured in a three-step process:

-- Step One-- competitive solicitation, three-month effort to define architecture

-- Step Two-- competitive solicitation, develop architecture and initial waveforms

-- Step Three-- series of competitive solicitations by JPO and Services

BACKGROUND: JTRS supports the Defense Department's mission to acquire a family of affordable, high capacity tactical radios offering end-to-end capabilities (Line-of-Sight and Beyond Line-of-Sight) to the warfighter. The new tactical radio system will eliminate communication barriers with a modular design scaled to meet varying user needs. Software-defined waveforms and an open standards-based architecture will provide interoperability and anticipate future requirements.