Raytheon Company (RTN) completed a 20,000-square-foot addition to its factory in Forest, already one of the biggest in the state. The extra room will allow the company to support anticipated growth in airborne radar and electronic warfare systems.

“Raytheon has been part of this community’s fibre for more than three decades,” Fred Darlington, a Vice President in the company’s Space and Airborne Systems business, said in a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and senior military leaders. “Raytheon stood by the Governor’s side here on Veterans Day 2013 with a pledge to add more space for our high-skill workforce, and we kept our commitment.”

The state-of-the-art test facility is part of a new common test platform the company is deploying for all of its electronic warfare systems. Raytheon plans to add a number of new positions over time to keep pace with orders for its active electronically scanned array (AESA) fighter jet radars and Sentinel air defence radars. The company is the only manufacturer with combat-proven AESAs in production for tactical aircraft.