ARLINGTON, Tex., Nov. 11, 1999 - Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTNA, RTNB) today announced receipt of an approximate $30 million contract award from the U.S. Army's Simulation, Training and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM) to develop the service's Aviation Combined Arms Tactical Trainer - Aviation Reconfigurable Manned Simulator (AVCATT-A) program.

AVCATT-A, which is based on the "one Army, one simulator" concept, will provide both the active U.S. Army and National Guard aviation units with a realistic, high intensity virtual combat training environment for helicopter pilots.

AVCATT-A will support the full mission spectrum associated with the services' attack, reconnaissance and utility helicopters. These transportable training devices will provide the greatest benefit when networked to and are interoperable with the Army's other Combined Arms Tactical Trainer program, which supports the service's armored tank training requirements. In addition, the trainers will be able to operate in a stand-alone mode.

"At Raytheon we're looking forward with excitement to working on this innovative program that represents the future of Army helicopter flight simulation and combined arms tactical training," said Gary Nesta, Raytheon Company's director of flight simulation. "AVCATT-A will enable the Army to enhance and sustain the skills of its helicopter pilots within simulated combat environments that present the challenge of interactive opposing forces.

"During this era of increasing constraints on live field training exercises, AVCATT-A also will provide the ability to use simulation to affordably support improving pilot skills in the use of aircraft weapon systems."

A realistic, virtual training environment will be supported by intelligent semi-automated forces. These forces, both friendly and opposing, will support a highly competitive fighting environment to maximize training effectiveness. For the first time ever, Army aviators will have a home base trainer to prepare them for challenging worldwide air defense threats.

This environment, coupled with state-of-the-art visual image generation, will enable Army aviators to fight and train under a wide range of simulated conditions. These conditions - including battlefield smoke; blowing snow; dust or sand; and temperature, wind, visibility and cloud ceiling - can be replicated under day, dusk or night environments.

To support the AVCATT-A program, Raytheon will provide visualization for three geo-specific terrain data bases. These data bases will simulate the Army's National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif. and the service's Fort Hood, Texas base.

To simulate the wide range of Army helicopter platforms, Raytheon will use a simulator solution supported by the latest development in helmet-mounted display technology. Raytheon will introduce a modified version of the flight-certified Advanced Visionics Systems helmet-mounted display it recently developed for the Army. This helmet-mounted display, which will make use of advances in miniature matrix liquid crystal display image sources and visor optic technology, will display a high-resolution, wide field-of-view out-the-window visual scene and cockpit instrumentation symbology.

Raytheon's reconfigurable simulator solution will provide high fidelity cockpits for the AH-64A Apache, AH-64D Longbow Apache, OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, UH-60A/L Blackhawk and CH-47D Chinook. A contract option exists that will incorporate the Army's next generation attack helicopter, the RAH-66 Comanche.

AVCATT-A pilot trainers will be designed to integrate directly into the Army's command, control, communication, computers and intelligence systems. Battalion or brigade staff personnel, working at stations within their administrative and tactical operations center, will control battlefield support elements and combat forces participating in a simulated engagement.

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.