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.