Raytheon to Invest $100M in Rhode Island to Scale LTAMDS Radar Testing and Patriot GEM-T Components

Raytheon, an RTX business, said it will invest $100 million to expand its Portsmouth, Rhode Island facility, aiming to accelerate testing for its Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) radar while also boosting production of components used in the Patriot system’s GEM-T interceptor. The announcement was made Monday, June 8, 2026.

LTAMDS is a radar intended to help detect and track advanced and next-generation airborne threats as part of the U.S. Army’s broader air and missile defense approach. RTX’s Raytheon describes LTAMDS as designed to defeat advanced threats and as part of a layered portfolio of sensors, command-and-control systems, and “effectors” that work together to find, engage, and defeat targets.

The Pentagon’s Patriot air and missile defense system relies on interceptors that can engage multiple classes of airborne threats. In Raytheon’s statement, the company singled out the Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missile Tactical (GEM-T) as a key effector, describing GEM-T as designed to intercept airborne targets including tactical ballistic missiles, aircraft, and cruise missiles. Raytheon said the Portsmouth expansion will “boost Patriot GEM-T subcomponent production” to meet “growing global demand.”

Raytheon said it is under contract for multiple LTAMDS radars for the U.S. Army and Poland. The company also said the LTAMDS program recently completed its ninth successful flight test, using the radar’s multiple arrays to track and intercept a surrogate target. The Rhode Island investment arrives after Raytheon broke ground in Massachusetts in the previous year on a $53 million expansion of a radar production facility in Andover.

Along with the manufacturing focus, Raytheon said the Portsmouth expansion is intended to bring 150 high-tech jobs to the state. RTX said its businesses have operated in Rhode Island for more than 60 years and that it currently employs more than 850 people across the state, with Raytheon’s Portsmouth campus playing a role in undersea technology, combat systems, and radars.

From a sector perspective, the move reflects the industrial ramp often required for air and missile defense programs that rely on complex sensing and engagement components. As threats diversify, governments typically look for faster verification and production throughput, especially for sensors that must integrate with interceptors and command-and-control architectures. RTX’s statement frames the expansion as a way to scale production and advance testing so that the U.S. Army and international partners receive systems as quickly as possible.

What remains unclear is how quickly the Portsmouth capacity will translate into higher output, and whether the expansion is tied to specific contract deliverables or schedule changes. Raytheon did not disclose the size of the facility expansion, the detailed cost breakdown, the ramp schedule, or any revised delivery milestones for LTAMDS radars or GEM-T components. Investors and defense analysts will likely watch next for additional program milestones, including follow-on contract updates, further test outcomes, and any disclosures that quantify production rates and delivery timing.