SAIC taps former FLIR executive to lead new space business unit

Science Applications International Corp. will announce today it has named David Ray senior vice president of its space business unit.

"Ray will be responsible for managing SAIC's newly formed Space Business Unit, which combines the company's civilian, defense and intelligence space operations under one organization," the company said.

He previously was president of FLIR Systems' government and defense business and has also worked at Raytheon Technologies and Booz Allen Hamilton.

In an interview with Inside Defense this week, Ray said the new business unit brings together about $1.3 billion in sales and about 4,000 employees.

Ray said much of the unit's existing work is focused on systems engineering and integration, but he wants to help the unit expand into more development work and partner with nontraditional space companies that are gaining leverage.

Ray said he sees growth opportunities in the unit's work with NASA, intelligence agencies and defense space organizations.

"This year's really the first time the business is starting to work together," he said.

While Ray said he sees partnerships with nontraditional space companies as "absolutely critical," he'll be working to understand whether the unit should also be making acquisitions.

Over the next 60 days, he said, "I'll definitely have a much more mature feeling around is there an inorganic part of this as well."