Raytheon developing futuristic weapon systems; spacecraft guidance systems

Raytheon Missile Systems, a subsidiary of defence contractor Raytheon, the world''s largest supplier of guided missiles, is working on technology for a range of futuristic new products for defence and space exploration.

The new projects include guidance systems for spaceships, protective force fields for airports, weapons that shoot light and radio waves, and satellite-like robots that can seek out and ram enemy missiles in space.

Since 9 / 11 and the subsequent invasion of Iraq, Raytheon has made billions of dollars in new government contracts that have seen its revenue double to more than $4.5 billion a year, as its Tomahawk and Paveway missiles have become the weapons of choice for the US military in Iraq. Its 3S missile and Exo-atmospheric ''kill vehicles'' are the backbone of an elaborate new plan to defend the US and its allies from enemy attacks.

But company president Louise Francesconi isn''t satisfied. She''s has been on a mission to diversify Raytheon''s products and make the company more responsive to its customers since she took the helm in 1996.

The US Department of Defence (DoD) is Raytheon''s largest customer, but about 25 per cent of its revenue comes from foreign military sales, arranged and approved by the US government. The boom in defence spending after 9/11, as well as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been a boon for Raytheon.

For example, production of Raytheon''s air-launched Paveway missiles went from a handful to more than 2,000 per month after 9/11. Its global employment has grown by 3,500, to 12,000, and it had an order book of more than $5 billion at the end of 2006.

But with the writing on the wall for the war in Iraq and the unique needs of dispersed warfare in Afghanistan, the company knows it needs to look elsewhere before the numbers start moving downwards.

Francesconi has no intention of dumping the guided missile business that has been the company''s bread and butter since the reclusive maverick industrialist and aviator Howard Hughes founded it in 1951.

Raytheon Missile Systems consists of the amalgamated missile-manufacturing businesses of Hughes Aircraft, Raytheon, General Dynamics and Texas Instruments. Hughes bought General Dynamics'' missile business in 1992 and Raytheon bought Texas Instruments'' missile unit in 1997. Then Raytheon bought Hughes in 1997.

Francesconi is looking at the future. This means directed energy weapons such as lasers and microwave beams, unmanned air, sea and land vehicles, as well as smart missiles, all linked and controlled by computers.

To spearhead the initiative, Francesconi created an ''innovation tank'' comprising two groups of about 650 people that are focused on developing new technologies for use on and off the battlefield. Much of the development takes place at a research facility in Tucson that she''s christened ''The Bike Shop'', where engineers develop new products and modify existing weapons to meet the changing demands of urban warfare.

Traditionally a defence contractor, Raytheon now sees peacetime as a business opportunity too. It''s knocking at the doors of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a key contract.

Raytheon wants to build the avionics and guidance system for NASA''s Ares I crew launch vehicle, which will carry astronauts into orbit when the Space Shuttle is retired in 2010. NASA is expected to award a contract for the Ares I rocket guidance system before the end of the year.

The reason? Not only is demand for traditional weaponry likely to diminish as the war in Iraq winds down, but Francesconi sees its primary customer, the Defense Department, becoming more cost-conscious. She says the company needs to produce products that do more, but cost less.

The urban nature of the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq also is creating demand for smaller, more precision weapons that cause less collateral damage. As the US military becomes more net-centric, weapons have to be able to communicate. The next generation of missiles will be able to be reprogrammed from the ground, even as they gather and relay information while in flight.

Technology is changing the nature of weapons. Instead of bullets, one can now fire directed beams of light and radio waves. Directed energy is a major area of research and development for Raytheon, and a field where the company has taken the lead. The company''s prototype laser weapons can destroy a mortar at 500 meters and, someday, may be able to take out aircraft and enemy missiles.

Its Vigilant Eagle Airport Protection Systems is a protective microwave dome that covers large commercial airports and airbases and protects planes in the airspace from terrorist attacks. The microwaves scramble the heat-seeking sensors on shoulder-launched missiles, diverting them from the target.

Another developing product called Silent Guardian is a focused radio beam that penetrates the skin, creating an unbearable heating sensation, which causes targeted individuals to flee or take cover. The company is developing a large-scale version for the military and a smaller one that could be used by law-enforcement agencies.