Raytheon gets $161.8M to produce ITAS guidance system

RP news wires, Noria Corporation
Raytheon Company will extend production and delivery of Improved Target Acquisition Systems (ITAS) under a $161.8 million contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command in Huntsville, Ala. The order marks the second major ITAS contract award in 2006 and continues U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army procurement of the systems.

ITAS is the advanced Electro-Optic Target Acquisition Fire Control System. It guides the TOW (Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided) weapon systems to their targets with surgical precision. The targeting system significantly increases TOW's effective range, improves the weapon's ability to hit a target with minimal collateral damage and allows a soldier to engage and destroy targets from safe distances. ITAS's second-generation FLIR (forward-looking infrared) sensor provides long-range reconnaissance and surveillance capability 24/7, in all weather and battlefield conditions.

ITAS is fielded in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom where it has demonstrated its value in all phases of the conflict and subsequent peace-keeping efforts.

Glynn Raymer, Raytheon Network Centric Systems' vice president of combat systems, said: "This additional order further emphasizes the confidence our soldiers and Marines have using ITAS in new, innovative ways."

Raytheon Company, with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.

To learn more about Raytheon, read the Reliable Plant cover story "Greatness is Raytheon's target" by clicking on the link below:

http://www.reliableplant.com/article.asp?articleid=523