Raytheon, Chemring Group plan live missile firing for next phase of CENTURION® development

Anti-swarm capability key goal of collaborative work

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Jul 16, 2013, 04:30 ET

LONDON, July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), acting through its Missile Systems business, and Chemring Group (LSE: CHG) are finalizing plans to conduct a live missile firing of the multirole CENTURION^® launcher at the Defence Training Estate on Salisbury Plain during the fourth quarter of 2013.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130716/NE46696 )

"Our plan is to launch a missile to help prove our capability against a maneuvering surface threat such as a fast, swarming attack craft," said Rick Nelson, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Naval and Area Mission Defense product line. "Chemring's CENTURION^®launcher, coupled with a number of Raytheon's combat-tested missiles, brings an entirely new dimension to ship self-defense to provide a sea-based, inside-the-horizon platform protection system."

Low Cost Anti-Surface Weapon System
The solution to counter fast inshore attack craft consists of a variety of Raytheon missiles with ranges matched to the intended target. The missiles would be fired from the Chemring CENTURION^® launcher, with initial target detection, tracking and identification provided by the ship's sensors.

"This progression towards integrating CENTURION^®with Raytheon missiles to deliver a low-cost, effective and versatile solution to increase naval platform protection is a significant milestone," said Mark Papworth, chief executive of Chemring Group. "This multimission single-launch platform solution can be installed on a wide variety of surface ships and provides defensive protection in both blue water and the littorals, contributing to the layered defence philosophy against a wide range of threats."

About Chemring
Chemring is a market leading manufacturing business supplying high technology electronics and energetic products to over 60 countries around the world. Chemring has a diverse portfolio of products that predominantly protect military people and platforms, providing insurance against a constantly changing threat. These range from countermeasures to protect aircraft, to ground-penetrating radar to protect troops and vehicles from improvised explosive devices. Chemring maintains balanced geographic and market profiles, with a growing presence in non-NATO countries. Strong research and development investment for new products and improvements in technology allows Chemring to expand its addressable markets. For more information, please visit www.chemring.co.uk.

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2012 sales of $24 billion and 68,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 91 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. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

Media Contacts

Raytheon Company
Missile Systems

London
John Patterson
+1.520.440.2194

Louisville, Ky.
John Eagles
+1.502.364.6768

[email protected]

Chemring Group
Salisbury, U.K.
Steve Kerchey
+44 (0) 1722 428636

[email protected]

SOURCE Raytheon Company