BAE Systems on Thursday said it is investing more than $100 million in a new “state-of-the-art facility” to house its Iowa-based military GPS business it acquired from Raytheon Technologies
[RTX] in July, with plans to open the facility in 2022.
The 278,000 square foot building in Cedar Rapids will include a build-to-suit factory and research and development center, several hundred offices, workstations and flexible work space, and classified and unclassified labs. The facility can also accommodate the addition of 50,000 square feet of space for future growth.
BAE said its new facility will improve operational efficiency and production. The company’s military GPS business, which used to be part of the Collins Aerospace business that is part of Raytheon Technologies, currently operates from two buildings, one in Cedar Rapids and one in Coralville, Iowa.
“Our world-class military GPS business is built on the rich talent pool in Greater Cedar Rapids,” John Watkins, vice president and general manager of Precision Strike & Sensing Solutions at BAE Systems, said in a statement. “This investment will provide our-high tech engineering and manufacturing experts with a world-class workspace and the tools to enhance operational excellence.”
Construction on the new building began in October. BAE develops and manufactures GPS products for ground-based and airborne missions, and weapon system applications.
BAE paid $1.9 billion for its new Navigation and Sensor Systems business acquired from Raytheon Technologies. The business unit has 700 employees.