"When it comes to customer focus, our measure of success is when our customers can say, 'I rely on people from Raytheon to quickly provide effective, low-cost, innovative solutions because I know them, they listen to me, they understand my problems and they do what they say.'"
— Louise Francesconi, President

Missile Systems (MS), with 2004 sales of $3.8 billion, is the world's leading producer of weapon system solutions for U.S. and allied forces. From global missile defense to directed energy, MS continues to provide revolutionary technologies to increase warfighting capability in the evolving battlespace.

A proud leader in the U.S. efforts to defend against ballistic missile attack, MS delivered to the Missile Defense Agency the first Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle payloads, which entered silos in Alaska and California. The business also delivered the first five deployment rounds of the Standard Missile-3, a key element of the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System to be deployed aboard U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers.

MS and the U.S. Navy celebrated the fleet introduction of the Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile, building on the 32-year success of the U.S. Navy's weapon of choice. The new surface- and submarine-launched cruise missile provides flexible targeting, loitering and battlefield assessment — key capabilities for the future netted battlespace. The new version also cuts the U.S. Navy's costs in half.

MS continues to provide tactical advantage to fighter pilots with the AIM-9X, next-generation, short-range, air-to-air Sidewinder Missile, which entered full-rate production. The business expects to produce 10,000 rounds for the U.S.Navy and U.S.Air Force and 5,000 for international customers over 18 years.

Successful international partnerships are contributing to worldwide growth. MS and Raytheon Systems Limited^TM established a global factory to produce guidance electronics for U.K. Paveway^TM systems. The two businesses also have developed an innovative program with the U.K. Ministry of Defence to reduce Britain's ownership cost of air-launched munitions. Also, in early 2004, MS and Diehl Stiftung & Co. of Nürnberg, Germany, formed Diehl Raytheon Missile Systeme to modernize and market legacy versions of the Sidewinder.

Leveraging the breadth of its portfolio, MS continues to respond quickly and affordably to meet emerging customer needs with new technologies and innovative applications of proven systems.