Aerospace and defense giant that employs 17,000 in CT changing its name
An aerospace and defense giant that employs thousands in Connecticut and has century-old roots in the state is getting a new name.
Raytheon Technologies Corp., which merged United Technologies Corp. and its iconic Pratt & Whitney jet engine brand in 2020, will now be known as RTX Corp. The RTX name, which took affect this week and is Raytheon’s stock trading symbol, will be co-branded with subsidiaries such as Pratt and Collins Aerospace, which have a major presence in Connecticut.
RTX employs about 17,000 in Connecticut, according to the company.
“It’s designed to reflect our recent realignment from four business units to three,” Chris Johnson, senior director of global media relations at RTX, said, in an email Wednesday. “The new name reinforces that we are an integrated aerospace and defense company; communicates to our customers that we are one company built from three industry-leading businesses (Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and Raytheon); and eliminates confusion between the company name and the Raytheon business unit.”
The new logo combines the new RTX with a slightly modified gear that was long part of the United Technologies’ logo.
When Raytheon acquired Farmington-based UTC, the merged company’s headquarters was relocated to Waltham, Mass. Last year, Raytheon moved its headquarters to Arlington, VA, which placed its top corporate presence near the Pentagon and Capitol Hill, a strategic move for its defense business.
Branding experts in Connecticut say the name change could be signaling a shift in strategy in the coming years.
“That’s what I would look at almost more than a marketing or rebranding,” said Katie Lukas, senior vice president of strategy and research at Glastonbury-based Cronin & Co. “Are they planning on bringing in more subsidiaries? Are they trying to branch out? Are they looking to shift market perceptions about them?”
Lukas said the new name could augment a perception of stability, a company that’s solid, sizeable and accountable. The new name also could help draw a contrast with other companies “especially if you’re juxtaposing yourself with a company like (Elon Musk’s) Space-X where everything looks to be crazy and chaotic right now.”
RTX’s decision to keep the East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney name draws not only decades of familiarity in the market but also the name’s connection to generations of employees in Connecticut.
The decision to keep the Pratt, Collins Aerospace and Raytheon names alongside RTX also avoids a massive advertising and rebranding campaign.
Pratt traces its roots to its founding in Hartford’s Frog Hollow in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentschler. Rentschler pioneered the air-cooled radial engine design. Its first engine, the R-1340 Wasp engine, dramatically reshaped military and commercial aviation. Pratt’s gas turbine and jet propulsion business was boosted by production during World War II.
Today, according to Pratt’s website, the company has more than 85,000 engines in service and more than 16,000 customers globally.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.