Raytheon awarded $29.1m NASA research contract

Raytheon Co., the Waltham-based defense contractor, said in a press release that it secured a $29.1 million contract from NASA to develop enhancements to its aircraft operations computer simulation tool, the Airspace Concepts Evaluation System, or ACES.

Raytheon's enhancements to the modeling and simulation capability of ACES will help NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other researchers better grasp the requirements needed to support the impacts of NextGen, which is the FAA's plan to modernize the national airspace system through 2025.

Shares of Raytheon rose 49 cents to $45 in morning trading. (AP)