Raytheon Interview Questions and Answers (2026)

The stack holds local variables and function call frames; memory is reserved when a function is called and released automatically when it returns, it is fast, and it is limited in size. The heap holds memory you request at run time with malloc or calloc and must release with free; it can hold large or long-lived data but is slower to allocate and can leak or fragment. Returning a pointer to a local stack variable is a bug because that memory is gone after the function returns, and in embedded code heap use is often banned after startup to keep timing predictable.

If it is a binary search tree, follow left children from the root until there is no left child; that node holds the minimum, in O(h) time. If it is a general binary tree with no ordering, you must visit every node: recursively return the minimum of the current value and the minimums of the left and right subtrees, treating a null child as positive infinity. That is O(n) time and O(h) stack space. State which case you are solving before you code.

On a local variable, static keeps its value between function calls because it is stored for the program’s whole lifetime instead of on the stack. On a global variable or function, static limits its visibility to the current source file, which prevents name clashes across files. Interviewers often follow up with why a static local is not thread-safe without a lock.

To set bit n: x |= (1u shifted left by n). To clear it: x &= ~(1u shifted left by n). To toggle it: x ^= (1u shifted left by n). To test it: (x shifted right by n) & 1u. Use unsigned types so shifts are well defined, and in register code mark the register pointer volatile so the compiler does not optimize away the access.

Endianness is the byte order of a multi-byte value in memory. Little-endian stores the least significant byte first (x86, most ARM configurations); big-endian stores the most significant byte first, which is also network byte order. It matters when you send binary data between systems or parse a message format, so convert with htonl and ntohl or explicit byte shifts rather than casting a byte buffer to a struct.

The compiler inserts padding so each field sits at an address aligned to its size, and adds trailing padding so arrays of the struct stay aligned. A struct with a char, then an int, then a char is often 12 bytes rather than 6. Reordering fields from largest to smallest reduces padding; packing pragmas remove it but can slow access or fault on some processors.

Software candidates report C questions such as the difference between the heap and the stack, tree questions such as finding the smallest value in a binary tree, questions on resume projects and the job’s programming languages, and behavioral questions such as describe a conflict with a past teammate and how it was solved. Answers are expected in STAR format.

Usually a recruiter screen and one panel interview, often on Zoom or Teams, with the hiring manager and two or three engineers. Glassdoor reviewers describe a mostly behavioral panel with a few C questions and no LeetCode-style problems for Software Engineer I roles.

Raytheon is now one of the three businesses of RTX, alongside Collins Aerospace and Pratt and Whitney. Job postings and the careers site use the RTX name, while Raytheon remains the name of the defense business that hires most missile, radar and sensor engineers.

Most engineering roles do. Copies of 2026 RTX Software Engineer II postings list a Secret clearance, state that U.S. citizenship is required because only U.S. citizens are eligible for a clearance, and in some cases require an interim Secret before the start date.

Rarely. Software Engineer I reviewers describe a few C and data structure questions, such as heap versus stack and tree problems, and say there were no LeetCode-style coding problems. Expect to explain concepts and your own code rather than solve timed puzzles.

RTX lists six values: Safety, Trust, Respect, Accountability, Collaboration and Innovation. Its description of Accountability is honoring commitments, expecting excellence and taking pride in the work.

Copies of 2026 RTX Software Engineer II postings listed base ranges of $75,800-$144,200 in El Segundo, California and $68,900-$131,100 in McKinney, Texas. Levels.fyi’s self-reported U.S. medians for Raytheon, including bonus, are about $95,000 at P1, $105,000 at P2 and $138,000 at P3.