Raytheon Company has shipped ahead of schedule and under budget the second Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) Forward Based X-Band Transportable (FBX-T) radar to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., for final testing and acceptance.

"With the completion of the factory testing and acceptance of the second FBX-T radar, we've taken another significant step toward implementing an effective capability to protect the U.S., deployed forces and allies from ballistic missile threats," said Pete Franklin, vice president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) Missile Defense Business Area. "Raytheon's BMDS program is leading the way, providing advanced sensor capabilities and enhanced affordability."

Raytheon IDS, which was awarded a BMDS radar contract by the MDA in April 2003, delivered the first FBX-T radar under budget and ahead of schedule in November 2004. The radar, currently deployed in Japan, is the first new MDA system to be developed and deployed as an operational asset outside the U.S.

Raytheon IDS designed and built the FBX-T radar by drawing on extensive sensor knowledge from its X-Band "Family of Radars." The FBX-T is a high-power, transportable X-Band radar designed to detect, track and discriminate ballistic missile threats early in flight, maximizing the capability of the BMDS to identify, assess and engage threats to the U.S., deployed forces and allies.

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