Chris Calio

Chris Calio
Born	Christopher Calio
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairman and CEO of RTX Corporation
Employer	RTX Corporation
Known for	Chairman and CEO of RTX Corporation

Christopher "Chris" Calio is an American business executive who serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RTX Corporation (NYSE: RTX), one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the world. RTX, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, was formed through the 2020 merger of Raytheon Company and United Technologies Corporation and is a major supplier of defense systems, aircraft engines, and aerospace components to governments and commercial customers worldwide. Calio rose through the ranks of the corporation's predecessor companies before assuming the top leadership role, guiding RTX through a period of significant growth in both its defense and commercial aerospace segments. Under his leadership, RTX has navigated complex challenges including supply chain constraints, geopolitical pressures, and scrutiny from political leaders over defense industry performance, while posting strong financial results driven by robust aftermarket demand and original equipment sales. As Chairman and CEO, Calio has represented RTX at major industry and investor conferences and has engaged in public discussions about the intersection of private enterprise and national defense, including a notable appearance alongside JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute to discuss investing and building for national defense.

Career

Rise at RTX and Predecessor Companies

Chris Calio built his career within the corporate family of companies that ultimately became RTX Corporation. The company traces its lineage to some of the most storied names in American aerospace and defense, including United Technologies Corporation and Raytheon Company, which completed their merger in April 2020 to form Raytheon Technologies (later rebranded as RTX Corporation). Calio held a series of senior operational and leadership positions within the organization, gaining experience across the company's diverse portfolio of businesses, which span commercial aviation, defense electronics, missile systems, and intelligence technologies.

By the time he was named to the top leadership position, Calio had developed deep familiarity with RTX's complex business operations and its relationships with key government and commercial customers. His appointment as President and CEO, and subsequently as Chairman and CEO, positioned him as the principal executive responsible for setting the strategic direction of a corporation with annual revenues exceeding $80 billion across its various segments.

Leadership as Chairman and CEO

As Chairman and CEO, Calio has overseen a period of notable financial performance and strategic execution at RTX. The company's results under his leadership have reflected strong demand in both the defense and commercial aerospace markets.

In the second quarter of 2025, RTX reported $21.6 billion in sales, representing a nine percent year-over-year increase in revenue. This growth trajectory continued into the third quarter of 2025, when RTX posted double-digit sales growth driven by robust demand for its aftermarket services and commercial original equipment (OE) products. The aftermarket segment, which includes maintenance, repair, overhaul, and spare parts for installed engines and systems, has been a consistent driver of profitability for RTX, benefiting from the large installed base of Pratt & Whitney engines and Collins Aerospace systems operating across global commercial and military fleets.

Calio has been active in communicating RTX's strategy and performance to the investment community. In May 2025, RTX announced that Calio would present at the 2025 Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference, one of the premier investor events in the aerospace and defense sector. In September 2025, RTX presented at Morgan Stanley's 13th Annual Laguna Conference, where the company provided a comprehensive overview of its strategic growth initiatives and the challenges it faced in the operating environment. These investor presentations under Calio's leadership have addressed topics including the company's approach to supply chain management, its investments in next-generation technologies, and its positioning within both the commercial aerospace recovery and the evolving defense spending environment.

Manufacturing and Delivery Strategy

A central theme of Calio's leadership has been an emphasis on accelerating production and delivery timelines across RTX's defense and commercial businesses. During a January 27, 2026 earnings call, Calio articulated what he described as "the responsibility and urgency to deliver more and to deliver it faster." This statement reflected the broader pressures facing the aerospace and defense industry, where supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and surging demand for both commercial aircraft components and military systems have created significant backlogs and delivery challenges.

The push to improve manufacturing throughput has been particularly relevant in RTX's Pratt & Whitney division, which produces engines for commercial aircraft including the geared turbofan (GTF) engine family used on the Airbus A320neo family, as well as military engines for fighter aircraft. The Raytheon segment, which produces missiles, radar systems, and other defense electronics, has similarly faced pressure to increase production rates to meet growing demand from the U.S. military and allied nations, particularly in the context of global security developments.

Calio's emphasis on delivery speed and volume has been positioned as both a commercial imperative and a matter of national security responsibility, reflecting the dual nature of RTX's business as a company that serves both commercial airlines and government defense customers.

Navigating Political and Financial Pressures

In January 2026, Calio and RTX faced heightened public scrutiny when President Donald Trump directed criticism at defense contractors, including RTX, over what the administration characterized as sluggish weapons production output and broader concerns about the defense industry's efficiency. Against this backdrop, Calio used the company's fourth-quarter 2025 earnings announcement to address investor concerns and affirm RTX's financial stability and commitment to shareholder returns.

During the January 2026 earnings call, Calio stated that RTX remained "committed" to paying dividends to its shareholders, a significant signal of financial confidence at a time when the political environment had introduced uncertainty into the defense sector. Bloomberg reported that RTX Corporation planned to continue paying dividends to investors following Trump's attacks on the company, with Calio backing the dividend policy as part of the company's broader capital allocation strategy.

RTX and Northrop Grumman were among the first major defense companies to declare fourth-quarter 2025 earnings that week, and their respective approaches to dividends and shareholder returns were closely watched by investors as a barometer of how the industry would respond to the new political dynamics. Calio's handling of the situation demonstrated an approach that sought to balance responsiveness to government concerns about defense production with the fiduciary obligations of a publicly traded corporation to its shareholders.

Defense and National Security Engagement

Beyond his role as a corporate executive, Calio has participated in broader discussions about the relationship between American industry and national defense. In December 2025, Calio appeared alongside Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, at an event hosted by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. The event, titled "Investing & Building for National Defense," explored themes related to how private enterprise and the financial sector can support the United States' defense infrastructure and capabilities.

The pairing of the CEO of one of the world's largest defense contractors with the CEO of the largest U.S. bank by assets underscored the growing recognition of the interplay between financial markets, industrial capacity, and national security. The discussion addressed topics related to the capital investment required to sustain and expand defense manufacturing, the role of financial institutions in supporting the defense industrial base, and the strategic considerations involved in maintaining technological superiority in an era of great power competition.

Calio's participation in such forums reflects the expanded public role that defense industry CEOs have assumed in the 2020s, as debates over defense spending, industrial policy, and the readiness of the U.S. defense industrial base have moved from specialized policy circles into mainstream political and media discourse.

RTX Corporation Under Calio

RTX Corporation, under Calio's leadership, operates through three principal business segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Collins Aerospace produces a wide range of aerospace and defense systems including avionics, aerostructures, mechanical systems, and mission systems. Pratt & Whitney is one of the world's leading manufacturers of aircraft engines for both commercial and military applications. The Raytheon segment focuses on defense electronics, missiles, and integrated defense systems.

The company's financial performance in 2025 reflected strength across these segments. The nine percent revenue growth reported in the second quarter of 2025 was followed by double-digit growth in the third quarter, indicating an acceleration in the company's top-line trajectory. This growth was driven by a combination of factors including the continued recovery of global air travel from the COVID-19 pandemic, increased defense spending by the United States and its allies, and the company's large installed base of engines and systems generating recurring aftermarket revenue.

At the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference in September 2025, RTX provided investors with a detailed assessment of both its growth opportunities and the operational challenges confronting the business, including supply chain constraints that have affected the broader aerospace and defense industry.

The fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, reported in late January 2026, were among the most closely scrutinized in the company's history due to the political environment surrounding the defense industry. Calio used the occasion not only to report financial results but also to articulate RTX's commitment to both production acceleration and shareholder returns, themes that had become intertwined in the public debate over the defense sector's performance.

Recognition

Calio's profile as a business leader has been elevated by his role at the helm of one of the world's largest defense and aerospace companies. His appearances at high-profile industry and investor conferences—including the 2025 Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference and the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference—have positioned him as a prominent voice in discussions about aerospace and defense strategy.

His December 2025 appearance at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute alongside Jamie Dimon reflected his standing as one of the leading figures in the American defense industry. The event's focus on investing and building for national defense placed Calio in a forum typically reserved for individuals with significant influence over matters of national security and economic policy.

Coverage of Calio and RTX in major financial and defense media outlets—including Bloomberg, Aviation Week, Breaking Defense, and GovCon Wire—has further established his public profile as a consequential figure in both the business and defense policy communities.