Collins Aerospace, a unit of one of the world's largest defence and aerospace companies Raytheon Technologies Corporation of the US, has kicked off its new Global Engineering and Technology Center (GETC) and Collins India Operations Center in Bengaluru and is planning to invest over $200 million in expansion.

The new sites are part of a long-term growth strategy for Raytheon Technologies in India and globally to maximise collaboration and innovation with Indian companies for research and development and manufacturing, as India's defence sector is opening up for the private sector, say its top executives.

The GTEC will house more than 5,000 Collins and Raytheon Technologies employees in India, with additional sites set to open early 2023.

“We’ve been committed to the aerospace industry in India for 25 years now, directly advancing key innovations in the local market for the long term,” said Steve Timm, president of Collins Aerospace,while inaugurating the centre. Collins is going to invest over $200 million in engineering and manufacturing capabilities and hiring an additional 2,000 highly skilled employees in the Indian aerospace and defense sector over the next five years. India is strategic to the global growth and investment strategy of all Raytheon Technologies’ businesses, he says.

Approximately 3,000 engineers from three other Collins Aerospace locations in Bengaluru, as well as about 600 personnel from other Raytheon Technologies’ group of companies will be moving into the 413,000 square-foot GETC at Northgate Tech Park in Bangalore. Plans are to expand further on the 3-acre land next year with new capabilities. Another Raytheon group company Pratt & Whitney’s United Technologies Corporation India Pvt Ltd. (UTCIPL) contract engineering services is also planned to open in early 2023 in the same location.

“The opening of these new facilities in Bengaluru shows our continued commitment in India and the GETC India organization supports Collins’ six strategic business units and is crucial to the continued success of our global businesses,” says Mauro Atalla, senior vice president, Engineering & Technology for Collins Aerospace. Kevin Myers, vice president and head of Enterprise Operations at Collins Aerospace says the new Collins India Operations Center coming up at KIADB Aerospace Park spans 26 acres across the Hitech Defense and Aerospace Park and will help Collins bring operational synergy and economies of scale, as well as support future growth opportunities and customer requirements. Collins plans to host some 1,700 employees at the new site once it is fully completed in 2026.

Global Engineering and Technology Center (GETC)

Defence push: Raytheon arm starts Global Tech Center in Bengaluru