Defence in depth

As one of the big hitters in the US defence sector, the Raytheon group is an 80,000-employee, $20bn (£11bn) heavyweight that has given the world the Cruise Missile and a host of other icons of military history.

It might be imagined that in a group of such scale, its 1,700-strong UK operation, Raytheon Systems Limited (RSL) would be something of a backwater. The company is hardly a household name here but Alan McCormick, executive director for engineering and advanced programmes, is keen to stress at every opportunity how the UK’s Raytheon contingent (a quarter of whom are engineers) punches well above its weight.

For much of its long history known as Cossor, a pioneer in television and radar technology, RSL has always possessed solid engineering credentials. ‘Raytheon in the UK used to be known as a business with capability, but a limited capability,’ said McCormick.

It would have been relatively easy for RSL to evolve into a shop-front for the US, a sales house for technology developed in one of its giant American facilities, McCormick admitted. ‘But that isn’t what has happened,’ said the affable Scot, who is a veteran of the defence industry with Plessey and Marconi.