Raytheon unveils advanced technology business unit

Raytheon Intelligence & Space announced a new name for its secretive advanced technology division, according to a company press release.

The branch, whose work is largely classified, has been relatively anonymous for the past two decades and was previously known as Advanced Concepts and Technology, the release says. It will now be called Department 22.

“This team is designed to go fast, learn along the way, take big risks and chase what others call impossible,” RI&S President Roy Azevedo said in the release. “They are at the forefront of innovation, operating on the edge of discovery with one goal in mind -- making the world a safer place.”

Department 22 will develop a mix of technologies ranging from sensors to autonomous missions systems and spearhead research in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and synthetic biology, the company says.

The team is headquartered in McKinney, TX, according to the announcement, and is planning to hire over 400 engineers, scientists and technologists before the year’s end.