PORTSMOUTH — Raytheon announced Monday that it will invest $100 million to expand its Portsmouth facility, a project the defense contractor says will create approximately 150 high-tech jobs and increase production of key air and missile defense systems.

Portsmouth Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a new radar test range Monday morning. 

“Projects like this help support good jobs, and strengthen our local economy,” Rainer told the town council Monday night while congratulating Raytheon on the milestone.

The expansion will allow the company to increase testing capacity for its Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, known as LTAMDS, while also boosting production of components for the Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical, or GEM-T, interceptor.

In a statement, Tom Laliberty, president of Raytheon’s Land & Air Defense Systems division, said the investment is intended to help the company meet growing demand for air and missile defense technology from the U.S. military and allied nations.

“Expanding in Portsmouth allows us to scale production, advance LTAMDS testing, and ensure the U.S. Army and our international partners receive these systems as quickly as possible,” Laliberty said.

The announcement comes about eight months after Raytheon broke ground on a separate $53 million expansion of its radar production facility in Andover, Massachusetts.

According to the company, LTAMDS is a next-generation radar system designed to detect and track advanced threats, including hypersonic weapons. Raytheon is currently under contract to provide LTAMDS radars to the U.S. Army and Poland. The company said the program recently completed its ninth successful flight test.

The Patriot GEM-T interceptor is part of the Patriot air and missile defense system and is designed to counter a range of airborne threats, including tactical ballistic missiles.

Raytheon has maintained operations in Rhode Island for more than six decades. The company says its businesses currently employ more than 850 people statewide.

The Portsmouth campus plays a significant role in several defense programs, including undersea technology, combat systems and radar development.

Raytheon is part of RTX, the Arlington, Virginia-based aerospace and defense company that reported more than $88 billion in sales in 2025 and employs approximately 180,000 people worldwide.