Date posted: 02/22/2006*

Throughout its more than 80-year history, Raytheon has been responsible for major technological advancements that have changed the course of both national and world history. As an innovator of military and commercial products, the company has a long and significant history of world-class engineering accomplishments.

During National Engineers Week, Raytheon celebrates its legacy of engineering innovation. It is this pioneering tradition — fueled by the company’s men and women engineers — that has enabled the company to become a global technology leader known for its system-of-systems solutions and customer-focused innovation.

Raytheon’s history began in Cambridge, Mass., in 1922, when former college roommates Laurence K. Marshall and Vannevar Bush, along with scientist Charles G. Smith, founded the American Appliance Company (renamed Raytheon in 1925). The three men developed a gaseous tube — called a gaseous rectifier — that enabled radios to operate on electricity rather than batteries. This invention revolutionized the radio industry by making radios affordable and accessible to every household.

Following Raytheon’s first engineering success, the company quickly began to develop both military and commercial products, as well as establish its expertise at adapting defense technologies for commercial use. Some notable historical highlights of Raytheon’s technology leadership include:

• Mass-production of the magnetron tube, the heart of the microwave radar used to detect enemy aircraft. Self-taught engineer Percy L. Spencer led the way in establishing Raytheon as the major magnetron supplier by simplifying the manufacturing process and improving the radar’s functioning during World War II.
• Manufacturing of the microwave SG radar used on PT (patrol torpedo) boats during World War II. Developed by Raytheon engineer Fritz Gross, the radar played an important role in the Atlantic battles, protecting allied convoys by allowing them to see at night and search for and destroy enemy U-boats.
• Invention of the microwave oven by adapting World War II radar technology. In 1945, Raytheon’s Percy Spencer was the first to discover that food could be cooked using microwave radio signals. In 1947, Raytheon demonstrated the world’s first microwave oven — the “Radarange.” It introduced the first countertop model in 1967 under the Amana name, and the market exploded. Read the entire story of Spencer’s initially accidental discovery.
• Establishment of the first company to develop a missile guidance system that could hit a flying target, in 1948. This led to Raytheon’s subsequent success in missile seeker technology, including the Sparrow air-to-air missile and Hawk ground-to-air missile, now deployed by the United States and many allied nations around the world.
• Design and manufacturing of the computer that guided the Apollo XI space vehicles on their successful trip to the moon and back, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong and Colonel Edwin Aldrin.

Raytheon Business Innovations 
Through Raytheon’s seven core businesses, the company has been able to provide a broad portfolio of solutions to the company’s many customers. Each of the Raytheon businesses has made significant contributions to the company’s rich legacy of innovation through research and engineering know-how, resulting in a history of leading-edge technologies.

Integrated Defense Systems (IDS)



Building on a long track record of success, Raytheon IDS continues to be the market leader in developing long-range surveillance radars. Its Cobra Dane and Pave Paws radar systems were leading edge when developed nearly 30 years ago, and with enhancements, these early warning systems continue to play a key role in missile defense. Other mature IDS systems in widespread use today are the Patriot and Hawk missiles systems, which provide reliable air defense capabilities for both U.S. and foreign customers. These systems continue to be upgraded with modern enhancements. The common historical thread is IDS’ radar technology expertise and ability to provide innovative and affordable solutions for a variety of applications and missions. 

Intelligence and Information Systems



The U.S. CIA initiated the U-2 program in the early 1950s to gather accurate information about the Soviet Union during the Cold War — specifically, photographs of its nuclear missile sites and bomber bases. A high-altitude reconnaissance plane, the U-2 is supported by advanced electronic signals and imagery sensors. Today it continues to provide round-the-clock, day and night, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance in support of allied ground and air forces. 

Raytheon has been supporting the U-2 program for over 30 years and is responsible for ground support, the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), and the development and maintenance of multi-INT sensor hardware and software. Its dedicated mission support has enabled the U.S. Air Force to successfully execute countless critical operations –– including the first combat mission over Afghanistan after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which Raytheon provided more than 80 percent of all battlefield imagery.

Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS)



The legacy strength of RMS is its missile seeker technology. This advanced technology detects targets by receiving electromagnetic energy at radar, infrared or laser frequencies emitted or reflected from the target. Missiles use seekers to identify target location. After detecting signals from the target, the seeker provides target location to the guidance system, which then steers the missile for an intercept. Some of the earliest missile seekers used the signal of a target’s hot spot, such as jet engine exhaust. RMS continues to develop its seeker technology to meet evolving market needs. Future advances are oriented to increasing the missile’s autonomy.

Network Centric Systems (NCS)



Serving both military and civilian customers, NCS develops mission solutions for networking, command and control, battlespace awareness and air traffic management. NCS’ rich legacy includes the work of its Raytheon Vision Systems (RVS) business area. For more than 50 years, RVS has been a leader in infrared (IR) focal plane array (FPA) technology. 

During the 1970s and 1980s, RVS developed and manufactured first-generation IR arrays for the U.S. Army. This technology was used extensively during the Persian Gulf War. At the same time, RVS produced IR arrays for space missions such as the Defense Support Program and Landsat satellites. During the 1990s, RVS developed second-generation IR FPAs that are currently deployed in the U.S.’s Iraq and Afghanistan operations. 

Considered a key national resource, RVS has produced IR FPAs for a broad range of Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA missions. Its team is currently at work developing high-definition, multispectral FPAs for future DoD applications and detector technology that covers the spectrum from millimeter waves to X-rays.

Raytheon Aircraft Company (RAC)



In 1937, Beech Aircraft Corporation introduced the Model 18 “Twin Beech” business aircraft. The Model 18 led to the design and production of several pioneering product lines that are still in production: Beechcraft™ Bonanza (1947), Beechcraft Baron (1961) and Beechcraft King Air (1964). The Beechcraft King Air 350ER is part of the number one turboprop lineup in the world.

RAC continues be an innovator, using the latest in composite technology and construction techniques to provide aircraft with outstanding comfort, performance and value. In 2001, the Beechcraft Premier I light jet became the first certified business jet with a composite fuselage. This year, RAC will make its first deliveries of the Hawker 4000, a super midsize jet that employs a composite fuselage to offer transcontinental range and seating for up to 13 passengers.

Raytheon Technical Services Company (RTSC)



RTSC recently implemented a successful program to manage support for the Standard Missile (SM) under the Weapon Information System and Data Management (WISDM) contract with the U.S. Navy’s Integrated Warfare Systems. WISDM is a customer-focused portal that links business, technical and programmatic processes and tools. It integrates the customer’s key legacy systems, enabling the entire SM community to share data in a secure, Web-based information system. The WISDM portal allows customers and Raytheon personnel to access data that is critical to the management, design, production, reliability, maintainability and availability of the Standard Missile. The program continues RTSC’s history of providing integrated Mission Support. 

Space and Airborne Systems (SAS)



SAS has a history of major innovations across the electromagnetic spectrum. SAS has substantially extended the capability and survivability of F/A-18 squadrons by increasing the Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared’s (ATFLIR) target detection and recognition range. In addition, SAS has been involved in the development of a major upgrade for the U.S. Air Force F-15C aircraft — namely, the APG-63(V)2 radar, which substantially increases situational awareness while improving reliability and maintainability. Another example of SAS pushing the boundaries of Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology is its revolutionary AN/APG-79 radar, which makes the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet more lethal and less vulnerable. With its active electronic beam scanning — allowing the radar beam to be steered at nearly the speed of light — the APG-79 optimizes situational awareness and provides superior air-to-air and air-to-ground capability. The agile beam enables the radar’s air-to-air and air-to-ground modes to interleave in near-real time, so that pilot and crew can use both modes simultaneously, representing an unprecedented technological leap.

SAS’ Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), a primary part of NASA’s “Mission to Planet Earth” program, acquires data in 36 spectral bands — from visible to long-wave infrared. Its wide-field-of-view coverage of Earth’s surface enables a detailed understanding of global ecosystems and their relationships, assisting environmental protection policy making.

Raytheon’s Santa Barbara Remote Sensing organization, part of SAS, developed the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) and mini-TES, as well as the Thermal Emission Imaging System on the Mars Odyssey orbiting spacecraft. TES has been successfully providing data to scientists since it went into operation in 1998; it also helped select landing sites for the current Mars rovers. Like MODIS, the Mini-Tes exemplifies SAS’ heritage of being at the forefront of space technology.

Ensuring a Legacy Continues
Thanks to its reputation for technological innovations such as these, Raytheon continues to attract some of the world’s most gifted scientists and engineers to its workforce. To ensure continued technical excellence, the company’s chief engineer, Chairman and CEO Bill Swanson, encourages a culture in which innovative ideas, diversity of thought and opinion, and lifelong learning are valued. In addition, the company’s MathMovesU program, a national initiative to improve young students’ perceptions about math and science, encourages today’s students to pursue careers in math and science to help ensure a continuous pipeline of engineers — and the innovative ideas they give to the world.

Beechcraft is a trademark of Raytheon Aircraft Company.
MATHCOUNTS is a registered trademark of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation.

*The content on this page is classified as historical content. See this important information regarding such content.