The Arizona Republic September 16, 2009
Raytheon looks to the future
By Andrew Johnson
Raytheon Missile Systems' latest research and development sounds like science fiction.
How about radio waves that can make a person feel as if he's on fire? Or an invisible microwave dome that blocks missiles headed toward an airplane during takeoff?
Both technologies are ready for the marketplace, according to the Tucson-based unit of defense giant Raytheon Co.
The company is working to find new revenue streams. Although the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been highly profitable to U.S. defense contractors, the Obama administration is pushing cuts to some weapons, vehicle and aircraft programs.
Emerging technologies, which have military and commercial use, are seen as a way to cushion against declines in traditional military spending.
"What we're trying to do is figure out what the missile company is going to look like in five or 10 years," said Mike Booen, vice president of advanced missile defense and directed-energy programs. Raytheon counts about 11,500 employees in Arizona, making it the state's fourth-largest employer.
"If anyone is going to invent us out of business," Booen said, "we would rather it be us than Brand X."
Raytheon's current focus dovetails with the U.S. Department Defense's long-time interest in non-lethal weapons, which are meant to lower the risk of death or permanent injury.
The U.S. Air Force Research Lab, for example, developed the concept for the radio-wave device that heats skin, called the Active Denial System. The Defense Department then contracted with Raytheon.
The agency has spent about $100 million on the technology, including R&D, Kelley Hughes, spokeswoman for the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, wrote in an e-mail.
"(The system) can help our troops fill the gap between shouting and shooting," Hughes said. "It provides numerous advantages over existing non-lethal weapons, such as extended range and extremely small risk of injury."
The device shoots millimeter waves that travel at light speed to a target. The energy penetrates the target's skin by about 1/64th of an inch and produces a heating sensation.
"I could use it to determine the intent of a boat sneaking up toward a U.S. Navy warship in Yemen harbor without having to shoot everybody on that boat," Booen said.
Raytheon's new technology can also be used commercially.
The Vigilant Eagle system creates an invisible microwave dome around an airport. If a terrorist launches a shoulder-fired missile from outside the airport at an airplane during takeoff, the microwave airfield detects the missile's presence and shoots a beam to deflect it from the airplane.
Raytheon developed Vigilant Eagle under a Defense Department contract and has discussed the potential for using it at U.S. airports with the Department of Homeland Security.
Such a move would require a significant investment, about $25 million per airport, to install.
The system would be cheaper than installing laser systems on individual aircraft, an option Homeland Security has examined, he said.
Raytheon has tested the system at an American airport but could not say which one because of a confidentiality agreement, he said. "We think we've got it down to a price where it's reasonable," Booen said.
Roadblocks
The private and public sector still must be convinced that the new technologies are worth the price and logistics.
A government-accountability report from April cited the Active Denial System as an example of problems facing the Defense Department's non-lethal-weapons program.
The weight of the system, more than 9 tons, makes it difficult to use in mobile missions, the report said. The system's high-tech components were "too complex" to perform significant repairs on in the field.
Raytheon has taken some of the criticism into consideration in developing the smaller version of the system called Silent Guardian, which has a shorter shooting range.
"We thought when you're in . . . an urban environment, which is where the war fighters typically find themselves today, we didn't think you needed that much range for every instance," Booen said.
There are similar concerns in the commercial sector. Airports have faced state budget cuts during the recession and may be unable to purchase new technology.
"I don't know if they're (Raytheon) going to make any money off it any time soon," said John Pike, director of Alexandria, Va.-based GlobalSecurity .org, a Web site that tracks the defense industry.
"If the company wants to spend millions today in order to possibly make billions in the future, well, that's a pretty good investment if the thing works."
© Copyright 2009, The Arizona Republic
