Raytheon is showcasing its air dominance, air and missile defence, counter-unmanned air system (UAS) and cyber portfolios at the show, just days after announcing a planned merger with United Technologies' (UTC) aerospace units.
“Paris is a key show for us,” says Chris Davis, president of Raytheon International. “It’s not just a European show – it’s an opportunity to interact with all our international customers.”
Today, Raytheon does business in almost 80 countries around the world, and has a physical presence in about 20. Of these, what it describes as “landed” companies – with full in-country management – are present in Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the United Arab Emirates.
Davis says other significant markets include India, Japan, Kuwait, Poland and South Korea.
If the proposed merger with UTC secures approval, the companies will attend the next Paris air show as a unified entity named Raytheon Technologies, incorporating units including Pratt & Whitney (P&W).
Such a move would bring significant financial scale – an expected turnover of around $74 billion – with around 45% as international business. Davis notes that the combination would also generate additional benefits and market opportunities.
“We would have 60,000 engineers we can reach back to, and almost $8 billion for R&D,” he says, adding: “There are markets where UTC now has a significant international presence, for example through the P&W piece.”
Referring to its products on show at Le Bourget, Davis points to significant interest in its counter-UAS technologies, which range from detection through to engagement using air-defence equipment. “We have seen very broad demand signals across our international markets for a complete kill-chain,” he says, adding that interest has come from the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Middle East. “We have a scalable solution,” he adds.
While European industry turns its focus to a future generation of air combat systems, Davis says he sees Raytheon’s AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120D Amraam air-to-air missiles as remaining strong performers. With the need to equip current fourth- and fifth-generation fighters with such weapons in order to ensure their operational relevance, he says: “We do not see the demand going away.”
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Source: Flight Daily News
