FOREST, Miss., (March 13, 2001) -- The 100th U.S. Army Sentinel radar rolled-off the production line at Raytheon Company's Forest, Miss., manufacturing facility today. Officially known as the AN/MPQ-64, Sentinel is a three-dimensional radar used to alert and queue Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces. Sentinel radars have been fielded to the majority of the active forces; fielding to the Army National Guard units began in February 2000.

Major General Stan Green, Commanding General and Commandant, Air Defense Artillery Center and School, Fort Bliss, Texas, was the keynote speaker at today's event. He said, "Today, thanks to a superb military-contractor team effort, the 100th Sentinel radar rolled-off the production line. The Sentinel system is a vital component of our Army's divisional air and missile defense forces, both in our active and National Guard battalions. Since we began fielding the Sentinel in 1997, it has been the pride of our soldiers and has provided critical targeting information to our gunners. At the same time it continues to receive rave reviews from our division commanders as they are finally given the opportunity to have real time situational awareness of the airspace over their troops.

"This capability is not only for today's battlefield, but indeed it continues to lead our forces into the 21st century. The Sentinel represents the best of our vision for a transforming Army that is light, deployable and reliable, and it ensures that our soldiers, and indeed the joint force of the 21st century, remain protected."

Senator Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who was unable to attend the ceremony, released the following statement: "The roll-out of the 100th Sentinel radar is yet another example of the commitment and dedication of the people who work at the Forest, Miss., facility. They continue to bring into service state-of-the-art equipment to protect our troops from a potentially lethal air threat. A job well done."

Congressman Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) representing the third district said in a statement, "Since I've been representing the people of Forest, Miss., in Congress, the Forest facility has had incredible success in producing nothing but quality products for our Armed Forces. The Enhanced Positioning Locating and Reporting Systems (EPLRS), Firefinder weapon location radars, airborne and naval radars, and last but not least, the Sentinel air defense radar. Prior to Sentinel, our troops had no viable air defense protection from enemy forces in the forward area. Now they have Sentinel. I am proud of the work that you have done and will continue to do to provide quality products to the men and women of our Armed Forces."

Since it was first introduced in 1997, the Sentinel radar has provided commanders a critical air surveillance capability that they previously did not have. In addition, based on Army Chief of Staff General Eric K. Shinseki's objective force requirements, the Army has designated the Sentinel radar as an objective force system (to remain in the field until 2030) and has developed a modernization plan to meet those requirements.

The Forest, Miss., facility provides Raytheon with a complete self-sufficient high technology manufacturing capability--from the purchase of materials, to assembly, test and integration for radar (airborne and land combat), and radio production programs. Products manufactured in Forest include the Sentinel air defense radar; Firefinder weapon locating radar; the Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS), a digital battlefield communications system; airborne radar; and shipboard radar.

With headquarters in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTNA, RTNB) is a global technology leader in defense, government and commercial electronics, and business and special mission aircraft.

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