Aerojet Selected to Complete Throttling Divert and Attitude Control System Development for the SM-3 Block IIA Missile

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that it has been competitively selected by Raytheon Missile Systems to complete the development of the Throttling Divert and Attitude Control System (TDACS) for the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA program, an advanced version of the SM-3 now in development.

The development contract will extend through 2016 and will be followed by a planned production program. The SM-3 Block IIA program is the third phase of the president's Phased Adaptive Approach.

"This is an important win for Aerojet," said Vice President of Missile Defense and Strategic Systems, Michael Bright. "It is the culmination of more than 18 years of company-sponsored research and development and government program work at Aerojet. We look forward to working with Raytheon on completing the development of this very important missile defense capability for use in the defense of the United States and Japan."

SM-3 is being developed as part of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Block 1A interceptors are deployed on U.S. Aegis cruisers and destroyers and Japanese destroyers to defend against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats in the ascent and mid-course phases of flight.

Under contract to MDA and the Japanese Ministry of Defense, Raytheon and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are developing the next-generation SM-3 Block IIA missile. The new missile will encompass larger second- and third-stage rocket motors and a larger kinetic warhead to provide a greater area of defense against more sophisticated threats.

Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' websites at http://www.Aerojet.com and http://www.GenCorp.com.

SOURCE Aerojet