A $26.5 million expansion of RTX\u2019s Collins Aerospace operation in Largo is moving forward as the company prepares to increase radar production and add more than 100 jobs.<\/p>\n
Recent Pinellas County permitting records show interior construction underway at Collins Aerospace\u2019s facility at 7887 Bryan Dairy Road, with the work identified as part of the \u201cRTX RADAR PROJECT.\u201d<\/p>\n
The expansion is expected to be completed this year, an RTX spokesperson said. New hires began in March, with about 100 additional employees expected by 2027. The Largo facility currently employs nearly 800 people.<\/p>\n
The investment will help Collins Aerospace ramp up production of two radar systems, the Condor Mk3 and ASR-XM, as part of a broader federal effort to replace aging air traffic control infrastructure.<\/p>\n
The Condor Mk3 communicates directly with aircraft transponders to provide information such as identity, altitude and location. The ASR-XM uses reflected radio signals to detect aircraft independently. Together, the systems give air traffic controllers different ways to track what\u2019s in the sky.<\/p>\n
In January, the Federal Aviation Administration awarded Collins Aerospace a $438 million contract to provide the next-generation radar systems. The FAA has said RTX and another contractor, Indra, will help replace up to 612 radars by June 2028.<\/p>\n
Many of the radars currently in use date to the 1980s and have become increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain, according to the FAA.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can confirm that the expansion of Collins Aerospace\u2019s Largo facility will be complete in 2026,\u201d an RTX spokesperson said in a prepared statement. \u201cThe investment supports accelerated production of the Condor Mk3 and ASR-XM radars for the FAA\u2019s Radar System Replacement program, along with multi-domain security solutions for defense customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
RTX announced the Largo investment in May. In addition to the radar systems, the company said the expanded facility will support security technology for defense customers.<\/p>\n
The project is unfolding at Pinellas County\u2019s Young-Rainey Science Technology and Research Center, or STAR Center, where Collins Aerospace is a major tenant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thrilled by RTX\u2019s Collins Aerospace expansion, which brings skilled jobs and cutting-edge equipment to our community while cementing their role as a vital anchor tenant for Pinellas County\u2019s Young-Rainey Science Technology and Research Center,\u201d said Dr. Cynthia Johnson, director of Pinellas County Economic Development, in the statement.<\/p>\n
Johnson said Pinellas County Economic Development did not provide direct financial incentives for the project.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s decision to expand there also comes as the county looks toward the future of the larger STAR Center campus. Collins Aerospace\u2019s continued investment gives officials a sizable existing tenant around which that redevelopment can take shape.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile our organization did not provide any direct financial incentives for this project, the company\u2019s decision to reinvest on our campus confirms Pinellas County as a premier destination for advanced manufacturing,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
She said the investment could also help set the stage for what comes next at the campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis choice proves that our competitive facilities, talented workforce and collaborative business ecosystem naturally drive corporate growth and set a strong foundation for the future redevelopment of the campus around their footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A $26.5 million expansion of RTX\u2019s Collins Aerospace operation in Largo is moving forward as the company prepares…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414964,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-414963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}