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Wilmington,
MA – May 6, 2009 - Textron Defense Systems,
an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc.
(NYSE: TXT) company, announced today that it has been
selected to provide thermal protection heat shields
for the Orion crew exploration vehicle. The company
spent more than three years refining its Avcoat ablative
material for the Orion thermal protection system, leading
up to the final selection by the NASA Orion Project
Office and prime contractor Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)
on behalf of NASA's Constellation Program.
The Orion crew exploration vehicle,
under development by NASA's Constellation Program, is
targeted to achieve a mission to the International Space
Station by 2015, land astronauts on the moon by 2020,
and eventually complete a mission to Mars. Textron Defense
Systems has been chosen to provide heat shields capable
of protecting the Orion spacecraft and its crew for
a safe return to Earth from these missions.
"This selection represents another
opportunity for Textron Defense Systems employees to
help achieve the awe-inspiring goal of human space exploration,"
explains Senior Vice President and General Manager Mark
Catizone of Textron Defense Systems. "Our company's
Avcoat material was utilized successfully in the Apollo
program missions. Today, we are honored to employ our
longstanding specialty materials expertise in support
of this program."
About Textron Systems
Textron Systems Corporation has been
providing innovative solutions to the defense, homeland
security and aerospace communities for more than 50
years. Known for its unmanned aircraft systems, advanced
marine craft, armored vehicles, intelligent battlefield
and surveillance systems, intelligence software solutions,
precision smart weapons, piston engines, test and training
systems, and total life cycle sustainment services,
Textron Systems includes AAI Corporation, Lycoming Engines,
Overwatch Geospatial Systems, Overwatch Tactical Operations,
Textron Defense Systems, and Textron Marine & Land Systems.
Textron Systems Corporation is an indirect wholly owned
subsidiary of Textron Inc. More information is available
at www.textronsystems.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company
that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense,
industrial and finance businesses to provide customers
with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known
around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell
Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex,
Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More
information is available at www.textron.com.
Media Contact:
Sharon Corona
410-628-3184
scorona@systems.textron.com
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