Wes Kremer on Raytheon’s Missile Defense System Development Programs

Wes Kremer, who took over as president of Raytheon’s missile systems business on March 30, told the Arizona Daily Star in an interview published Sunday that a lot of the company’s weapons development programs are “threat-driven.”

“You see that ballistic missiles and hypersonic threats, you see those proliferating, and with that, it brings the demand for more capable systems,” he said.

Kremer discussed development work on hypersonics, Naval Strike Missile, lasers and high-powered microwave weapons and described the company’s SM-3 Block IIA, the new variant of Standard Missile-3.

“It’s a significantly upgraded version of SM-3, co-developed and co-produced with Japan, and it significantly increases the range and velocity and allows it to take on longer-range and more advanced threats,” he said.

Kremer said the company’s missile systems business has unveiled five buildings in the past 18 months and plans to hire 2K more employees in Tuczon, Ariz.