ARLINGTON, Va. — Yet another major player in the aerospace and defense arena has plans to relocate its headquarters to Arlington, Virginia. Raytheon Technologies announced Tuesday that it would be moving its global headquarters from Massachusetts to the Rosslyn neighborhood of Virginia.
Raytheon Technologies encompasses four businesses across the aerospace and defense sectors, all of which already have a presence in Virginia: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense. The company says it has 600 facilities across 44 states and territories.
"The location increases agility in supporting U.S. government and commercial aerospace customers and serves to reinforce partnerships that will progress innovative technologies to advance the industry," Raytheon said in a press release Tuesday. "Washington, D.C. serves as a convenient travel hub for the company’s global customers and employees."
In its statement, Raytheon said it had not "accepted or sought" any financial incentive from Virginia, or any other state, to make the move.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin praised the move, welcoming the company to the Commonwealth.
"I commend Raytheon Technologies' leadership and pledge that Virginia is committed to being a partner in their mission to build a safer, more connected world," Youngkin tweeted.
The governor went on to say that with four of the top five "major U.S. aerospace and defense leaders now based in Virginia," he sees the state as the leading destination for the defense community.
Raytheon was founded in 1922 but merged with United Technologies to form Raytheon Technologies in 2020. The company has been headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts since its founding. According to Raytheon Technologies' LinkedIn page, the company has 174,000 employees dedicated to "pushing the boundaries of avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, quantum physics and more." The company did not specify how many employees would be relocated to Arlington.
In early May, Boeing, a leading defense contractor and one of the world's two dominant manufacturers of airline planes, also announced plans to move its headquarters from Chicago, Illinois, to Arlington, Virginia. The aerospace and defense firm plans to develop a research and technology hub in the area to “harness and attract engineering and technical capabilities.”
Boeing had 142,000 employees at the end of 2021, including 12% based outside the United States, according to a regulatory filing. The filing did not say how many work in Chicago.