Military and Strategic Journal
Issued by the Directorate of Morale Guidance at the General Command of the Armed Forces
United Arab Emirates
Founded in August 1971

2021-02-01

Raytheon Technologies: A Leading Provider of Aerospace and Defence Systems and Solutions

The merger of Raytheon and United Technologies combined two companies with distinctive legacies in transformative technologies to form Raytheon Technologies. The new company continues to build on that history as it shapes the future of air travel, global defence and space exploration. Alan Davis, Chief Executive, Raytheon Emirates talks to Nation Shield about Raytheon Technologies’ vision, the new opportunities it offers and what it means to the UAE.

Raytheon Company and UTC merged last year to become Raytheon Technologies. Tell us about the new company?
The merger of United Technologies and Raytheon Company to form Raytheon Technologies in April 2020 created the world’s most advanced aerospace and defence systems provider. The company serves customers worldwide, including the UAE, through a platform-agnostic, diversified portfolio of industry-leading businesses. 
 
The new company is focused on 50 per cent commercial and 50 per cent defence, through its four businesses, Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missile & Defense. Together, Raytheon Technologies’ businesses solve customers’ most-complex problems to make air travel safer and more connected, defence systems smarter to keep ahead of threats, and space technologies intelligent to enable progress for humankind. Raytheon Technologies expects to introduce breakthrough technologies at an accelerated pace across high-value areas such as hypersonics, directed energy, avionics and cybersecurity for both commercial aerospace and defence.
 
With our added scale, we are in a position to immediately address the priorities of our commercial and defence customers faster and more efficiently than ever before. We have 60,000 engineers and scientists across key R&D areas – providing us with one of the best technology portfolios in the world.
 
Is the merger creating new opportunities for your people and your customers?
The short answer is yes, absolutely. Our merger is providing tremendous opportunities, especially around technology and innovation. Our customers are excited about the broad portfolio of technologies we are bringing to bear today. Our global workforce is benefitting from the ability to share ideas, experiences and skills, and they are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with new colleagues who share the same passion for innovation and our customers’ missions. 
 
What does the formation of Raytheon Technologies mean to the UAE?
The combined company can now deliver technologies and capabilities together in support of programmes and customers in the UAE like never before. Raytheon Emirates is our local subsidiary that represents Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense, bringing local, made-in-UAE capabilities to the country and the region. With this merger, Raytheon Emirates can leverage the scalability and power of Raytheon Technologies, including all that Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney offer, to develop the local knowledge base and future Emirati leaders and grow the UAE economy.
 
What capabilities can Raytheon Emirates, Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney offer the UAE? 
Raytheon Technologies has been investing in the United Arab Emirates for decades. We are fostering an indigenous aerospace and defence industry for the nation’s economic diversification and the development of a highly skilled, highly productive Emirati workforce. The company is actively engaged with the UAE manufacturing and supplier ecosystem to partner locally, contribute to supplier jobs and help strengthen and expand the industrial capabilities of the nation’s economy. 
 
Raytheon Emirates, which soon marks three years since being established in Abu Dhabi, provides capabilities for a layered defence including air & missile defense, air dominance, cybersecurity, unmanned aircraft systems & counter-unmanned aircraft systems, high-energy laser systems, ELCAN rifle sights, and space mission support. We have completed dozens of UAE supplier assessments and have confirmed mature levels of engineering, technology development and component manufacturing capability ready to employ.
 
Similarly, Collins Aerospace provides Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, communications and commercial aviation solutions ranging from avionics and aircraft components and systems to airport passenger processing systems and maintenance, repair and overhaul services.
 
Pratt & Whitney also works with maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) providers in the UAE and provides engines for aircraft flown by the UAE military and UAE-based airlines.
 
How many people does Raytheon Technologies employ in the UAE and how is it contributing to the local community?
We have three facilities in the UAE – in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and the Jebel Ali Free Zone. We employ approximately 450 people in the country, including Emiratis, primarily as part of Raytheon Emirates and Collins Aerospace. 
 
We are also committed to supporting and enriching communities in the UAE by providing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educational opportunities and investing in the local workforce. 
 
At Raytheon Emirates, we run an annual internship programme for talented Emirati students from different local universities, and we are seeking to establish strategic community partnerships to foster aspiring Emirati technical and functional talent in support of our near-term pipeline demand and the UAE’s economic diversification goal. We are also exploring opportunities to develop Emirati professionals in cyber, engineering, research and development, design, manufacturing and programme management in collaboration with UAE government, industry partners and higher education institutions.
 
Additionally, Collins Aerospace co-created with Emirates Airline and other companies the Aviation X-Lab, an incubator designed to improve the air travel experience and positively impact the lives of one billion people. Collins has also worked closely with Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi providing internship opportunities in Europe for Emirati engineering students. 


 
What are some of your big defence partnerships in the UAE?
Our commitment to working with UAE industry reflects our shared values and a mutual desire to grow business in support of the UAE’s economic, defence and aerospace ambitions. For example, Raytheon Emirates has strong industry relations with Tawazun, Mubadala and EDGE. Collins works with Emirates defence industry companies to collaborate on new defence product offerings and to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services across several systems for several types of military aircraft.
 
Has the global pandemic made you focus more on your R&D efforts?
Raytheon Technologies has nearly 100 years of combined expertise, including more than 50 years of success in the Middle East. Our ability to keep pace and align our R&D with relevant upcoming threats and subsequent market effects has played a major role in this success. While no one could have predicted this pandemic, we were able to react fast by accelerating use of our existing technology and finding new derivatives we could adapt to our business. 
 
The pandemic has forced more people to work from home and do processes online. Do you think this shift has highlighted the need for better cybersecurity?
The cyber threat continues to evolve, particularly within the cyber landscape as more people, organisations and processes move online and the volume of data expands. This has undoubtedly opened up that environment to all kinds of malicious actors. Although this has increased potential risks, it has accelerated our defensive measures to protect and secure our and our customers’ data. 
 
Raytheon Technologies offers layered cybersecurity capabilities that can be customised to meet military, government and commercial business cyber protection needs.

We are bringing together Raytheon’s advanced cyber capabilities with Collins’ and Pratt’s aircraft systems expertise, as well as data network, communication and information management systems. Moreover, all of our businesses have access to our state-of-the-art cyber range – the CODE (Cyber Operations, Development and Evaluation) Center – to test the security and resiliency of existing and future products and systems against cyber-attacks. This broad portfolio of cyber solutions reflects our commitment to protect our networks, products and customers.
 
Raytheon Technologies is exhibiting at stand CS-4 and 03-A20 
 

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