Raytheon Exec Jon Jones Dies

By Warren Ferster

Jon C. Jones, a Raytheon Co. vice president Enlarge Image

WASHINGTON - Jon C. Jones, vice president of Raytheon Co. and president of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, died March 6 of an apparent heart attack, the company said in a press release. He was 55.

A Raytheon employee since 1977, Jones took the helm of the El Segundo, Calif.-based Space and Airborne Systems division in November 2005. Before that he was vice president and deputy general manager of the division, a maker of space and airborne sensors, and also served in similar capacity at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz.

Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of California at Northridge and a master’s in engineering management from the University of California at Los Angeles.

“Jon was a valued contributor to Raytheon for 33 years, an outstanding leader within our company, industry and community, and a dear friend,” Raytheon Chairman and Chief Executive William H. Swanson said in a statement. “He was a wonderful innovator who guided numerous programs of the utmost importance to our men and women in uniform. Everyone who knew and worked with Jon will miss him.