Raytheon Teams with Emirates Advanced Investments to Develop Laser Guided RocketABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, May 7, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon
Company (NYSE: RTN) and Emirates Advanced Investments of the United Arab
Emirates have signed a cooperative development agreement for a semiactive
laser guided 70 mm (2.75-inch) rocket designed to provide increased
precision and lethality compared with conventional unguided rockets.
"The Laser Guided Rocket project with Raytheon is a very important
defense industry initiative for the United Arab Emirates," said Hussain I.
Al Hammadi, Emirates Advanced Investments' chief executive officer. "This
program represents a hands-on development effort for our engineers that
will provide future benefits for the armed forces of both our countries. It
is designed to destroy targets ranging from tactical armored vehicles to
high-speed naval craft and will provide a very affordable precision weapon
for attack helicopters."
Under the cooperative development agreement, the Laser Guided Rocket
program represents a transfer of technology to the United Arab Emirates.
Subject to approval of the respective companies' governments, Raytheon
Missile Systems and Emirates Advanced Investments will produce the laser
guided rocket for national and international customers.
The agreement details a complete development and qualification program
and provides for a follow-on proposal to supply a commercial off-the-shelf
laser guided rocket for military customers in the United Arab Emirates,
United States and other countries. Initially, the laser guided rocket will
be qualified on a single United Arab Emirates' platform, with later
integration onto additional platforms.
"This program is also intended to benefit the United States Army, Navy
and Marine Corps," said Richard Janik, Missile Systems' Laser Guided Rocket
program manager, "because they would be able to obtain a fully qualified
laser guided rocket that meets or exceeds all the guided 70 mm rocket
requirements of the United States, without expending tens of millions of
dollars of investment in research, evaluation, and testing."
In addition to the cooperative development agreement, Emirates Advanced
Investments and Raytheon have signed a collaborative agreement to explore
similar, future joint programs. "The current Laser Guided Rocket project
can be a model for a collaborative agreement," said Hussain I. Al Hammadi,
"under which we would work together to develop future products and
establish a long- term partnership between our companies."
Emirates Advanced Investments, located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab
Emirates, was incorporated in 2005 to develop advanced technologies and
high-quality services through strategic global partnerships with
world-class manufacturing and service organizations.
Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion, is a technology
leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government
markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 86
years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems
integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and
command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a
broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham,
Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.
Contact:
John Nelson
520.794.7810 office
520.664.8560 mobile
John_H_Nelson@raytheon.com
SOURCE Raytheon Company
Source
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro_stories.pl?ACCT=149999&TICK=RTN&STORY=/www/story/05-07-2008/0004808335&EDATE=May+7,+2008
Back to Index
Move to Top 
