Raytheon Company (1922-2020 → RTX)
playerDefense & Military-Industrial · Darknet & Cyber
One company now effectively makes America's tactical missiles, after swallowing rivals and shrinking the supplier field from 13 down to 3.
Who they are
Raytheon, a defense electronics and missile maker founded in 1922, now part of RTX.
What they do
It became the dominant force in US tactical missile production.
How it works
Under CEO Dennis Picard (1991-1998) it absorbed Hughes Aircraft and Texas Instruments' defense divisions in a 1997 deal worth $2.5B (the DOJ forced it to sell off just one radar business), then merged with United Technologies in 2020 to form RTX; that consolidation squeezed the missile supplier base from 13 firms to 3.
Why it matters
Products like the Patriot, Sidewinder, AMRAAM, Tomahawk, and Standard Missile mean the modern US tactical-missile arsenal is functionally Raytheon, a striking case of defense-industry concentration.
The engine's record — word for word
Report #87. Defense electronics + missiles prime, founded 1922. Dennis Picard chairman/CEO 1991-1998, drove the post-Last Supper consolidation: **1997 Hughes Aircraft + Texas Instruments defense divisions absorption ($2.5B)** — required DOJ-mandated divestiture of one TI radar component business, but the overall mergers proceeded. 2020 merged with United Technologies forming RTX Corporation. The Raytheon 1997 absorption monopolized tactical missile production (compressing the supplier base 13→3). Raytheon Patriot, AIM-9X Sidewinder, AMRAAM, Tomahawk, Standard Missile, HACM hypersonic — the modern US tactical-missile substrate is functionally Raytheon.
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