Jon C. Jones, a Raytheon Co. vice president who spent much of his career at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, died over the weekend of an apparent heart attack, the company said.
Jones, 55, was president of the Space and Airborne Systems business unit, based in El Segundo, Calif.
Jones joined Hughes Aircraft Co., later acquired by Raytheon, in 1977 as an engineer in the Maverick missile equipment department
He steadily progressed to senior management, overseeing the engineering and development of some of the company’s premier missile product lines.
Jones was deputy general manager and vice president of the strike weapons product line at Missile Systems before being named vice president and general manager of Space and Airborne Systems in May 2005. He was appointed president of the space divison in November 2005.
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“Jon was a valued contributor to Raytheon for 33 years, an outstanding leader within our company, industry and community, and a dear friend,” said Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson. “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.”
He received the Malcolm R. Currie award for innovation in 1996, was named the state of Arizona’s Innovator of the Year in 1997, and received Raytheon’s corporate Excellence in Technology Award for advancements in infrared guided missiles in 2001.