Raytheon Co.’s state-of-the-art campus in Aurora — located not far from the “golf balls” at Buckley Air Force Base — has grown several times since the defense and aerospace giant put down roots in 2001.
Now, with a recent Air Force contract worth potentially $1.5 billion, Raytheon is ready to grow again, with most of the work being done in Colorado.
The Air Force contract — for modernizing ground- control support for the nation’s global positioning satellites — will bring about 100 more jobs this year and 200 more in 2011.
Raytheon has six businesses. With its headquarters in Texas, Raytheon’s Intelligence and Information Systems group employs about 9,000 people, with 2,200 in Aurora, making it the eastern suburb’s largest private employer.
The Aurora work focuses on software development, supporting intelligence and information missions for a number of governmental agencies and private companies.
The employees specialize in ground processing, unmanned ground systems, cybersecurity and homeland security.
Here’s a look at some of the work being done by Raytheon in Aurora.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is considered the new battlefield, and Raytheon works to stay more than a few steps ahead of creative, aggressive hackers.
So critical is defending against information systems breaches that President Barack Obama in December named a “cyber czar” to coordinate efforts.
Raytheon has been in the business of building and protecting information systems for more than three decades. About three years ago, it created a separate cybersecurity business.
Raytheon offers government and private customers advanced cybersecurity systems to assess the vulnerability of their information networks, and to monitor and protect against internal and external attack attempts.
Environmental
Taking data from weather satellites and turning it into information for storm-track forecasts, and monitoring climate change and atmospheric disturbances, is another facet of Raytheon’s work in Aurora.
Information is used for natural and emergency preparedness, farming practices, power grid distribution, transportation, navigation, surveillance and communication systems.
Raytheon’s Aurora operation is set to provide the ground capability — from design to sustainment — for one such program, the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System, above, or NPOESS.
Set for launch next year, the prototype NPOESS may be the system’s end. It has been eliminated from fiscal year 2011 budget proposals.
“The dark side”
There are some things that Raytheon does that its officials can’t talk about.
Often referred to as “the dark side” by defense contractors, the Aurora projects involve assisting critical missions conducted by homeland security, national security, intelligence and the military.
“It is sensitive work that Raytheon does for the government,” is all that Raytheon spokesman Keith Little would say.
Some Raytheon employees work in the large geodesic domes at Buckley Air Force Base.
The “radomes” house radar antennas that the 406th Space Wing uses to conduct global infrared surveillance, provide combat support and track missiles in war zones and for homeland defense.
