Admiral (Retd) Walter F. Doran, President Raytheon Asia outlines the company’s plans to expand awareness of its products and capabilities

SP’s Aviation (SP’s): Outline the company’s profile. What are Raytheon’s defence technologies and products?
Admiral (Retd) Walter F. Doran (Doran): Raytheon is a global defence technology company that does business in about 80 countries. We have 72,000 employees, more than half of whom are engineers. That gives us a lot of capability in developing and manufacturing innovative solutions to problems. Some of Raytheon’s major areas of focus include precision engagement, radar and sensors, integration of sophisticated systems and training.

SP’s: For how long has Raytheon been in India and has it been productive?
Doran: Raytheon has been associated with India for more than 40 years, but the strategic landscape is changing very rapidly now. This is something I have personally hoped for since my days as a student in India. Till a few years ago, Raytheon, despite smaller defence projects like the Firefinder radar for the Indian Army, was known in India largely for its civilian interests, particularly in the area of air traffic control. The satellite-navigation system we developed with ISRO, known as GAGAN, has proven a success in the technical demonstration phase. We are now looking to expand awareness of Raytheon’s products and capabilities.

SP’s: What are Raytheon’s fighter aircraft systems for air dominance?
Doran: Yes, Raytheon provides a variety of cutting edge sensor technologies along with advanced weapons systems that ensure our customers are fully equipped to execute their mission and return safely. Most of the weapons packages for US fighter aircraft are produced by Raytheon Missile Systems. Products include AIM-9X, AMRAAM, Maverick, Paveway, JSOW. These are the world’s most advanced and most lethal air-toair and air-to-ground weapon systems. Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems produces radar systems and electronic warfare systems that combined with our weapons all but guarantee air dominance for the US and its allies. Our integrated fighter solutions support a variety of manned and unmanned systems. These provide decision makers with the most actionable information available, and give pilots and aircrews the edge no matter what platform they’re flying.

SP’s: Can you tell us something about your partnership with ISRO for GPS and Geosynchronous Augmentation System (GAGAN) and the Chandrayaan programme?
Doran: We are in close collaboration with ISRO and AAI and are working on the final operational phase of the GAGAN programme. Raytheon also developed the sensing technology that was placed on the Chandrayaan to help determine whether the polar regions of the moon contain ice. Raytheon provided the antenna, transmitter, analog receiver and software for the sensor, as well as systems engineering.

SP’s: What are the systems you provide for civil aviation?
Doran: Raytheon is one of the world’s largest providers of air-traffic control systems, including in Mumbai and Delhi. The company also has submitted bids on providing air traffic management systems in Kolkata and Chennai.

SP’s: Do you provide systems for integrated airport security?
Doran: Raytheon has developed a solution that ensures the safety and security of passengers within an airport facility. The Integrated Security Systems for Airports (ISSA) is a comprehensive system that detects, observes, assesses and tracks intrusions to secure areas and aids airport security personnel in dispatching the appropriate response to the intrusion. Raytheon is currently implementing this system in New York area airports.