Raytheon to close Alburquerque facility and move to Tucson headquarters

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Raytheon Technologies Corp. is shutting down operations at the Sandia Science and Technologies Park in southeast Albuquerque, where the company employs about 200 people.

Raytheon’s Albuquerque operations will be transferred to other company facilities outside of New Mexico, company spokeswoman Heather Uberuaga told the media on Tuesday morning.

“After careful and deliberate consideration, Raytheon Technologies has chosen to close the company’s Albuquerque facility and relocate support for key capabilities and customer programs to our other facilities around the country,” Uberuaga wrote in an email. “We think this move is in the best interest of our customers as we look to further integrate and streamline our capabilities with pursuits and programs located at other sites while working with employees on a case-by-case basis to explore their individual employment options going forward.”

Raytheon’s Albuquerque division has specialized in designing and building directed energy systems, including laser-based technology and high-powered electromagnetic, or microwave, systems. It’s worked closely in recent years with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base on those technologies to develop modern laser and microwave weapons.

That work will now be transferred to Raytheon Missiles and Defense headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, Uberuaga said.

Raytheon expanded its operations at the Sandia Science and Technology Park in 2017, adding a second building there that broadened its total space from 102,000 square feet before to 175,000 now.

The company received $850,000 in Local Economic Development Act funding from the state to offset the expansion costs.

“We’ve returned the full amount of $850,000 that we did receive from the state,” Uberuaga said.

The company announced the shutdown to local employees Tuesday morning in a conference call with the workforce, taking many by surprise, according to one employee.

“I’m on the company call right now,” the employee said during the call while speaking on a separate line with the Journal. “They’re telling us we’re losing our jobs. They decided their operations in Albuquerque don’t align with their business plan and model and that they’re moving some programs to Massachusetts, some to Arizona, and that some programs will just sunset.”

The company told workers layoffs will begin in 60 days and conclude by the end of the year, the employee said.