Dr. Robert (Rob) Smith serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the AV’s Autonomous Systems (AxS) and Space, Cyber and Directed Energy (SCDE) business units, as well as its global operations and manufacturing footprint. He is responsible for advancing integrated, mission-ready capabilities across domains while driving operational excellence at scale.
Dr. Smith joins AV from Raytheon, an RTX company, where he most recently served as Vice President of Radio Frequency Solutions, leading a multi-billion-dollar radar and electronic warfare business with full P&L responsibility. Previously, as Vice President of Mission Suites, he led the development and delivery of integrated sensor and electronic warfare systems for U.S. and international customers.
Prior to Raytheon, Dr. Smith was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Integrated Defense Solutions at CAES. He also served as President of Government Operations at BWX Technologies (BWXT), where he led all U.S.-based nuclear business lines supporting the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, NASA, and other government customers.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Smith held multiple executive leadership roles at Lockheed Martin and led Nantero’s Government Business Unit, playing a key role in the company’s acquisition by Lockheed. He also served as a Director at Windermere and as a civil servant within the intelligence community, where he held a range of operational, engineering, and leadership positions.
Dr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Auburn University; and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.