Boeing Awarded $30 Million U.S. Air Force Contract to Upgrade B-52s

The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $30 million U.S. Air Force contract to upgrade the B-52 fleet’s Integrated Weapons Interface Units (IWIU), providing flight crews with enhanced smart weapon visibility and control.

“IWIUs represent a significant upgrade to the B-52 fleet,” said Scot Oathout, Boeing B-52 program director. “This contract will allow us to upgrade existing fleet equipment and support future enhancements that will keep the B-52 flying a very important mission for our armed forces all over the world.”

Boeing will replace the current, three-piece interface units with a single, state-of-the-art IWIU. Boeing will assemble and test the units at its St. Charles, Mo., weapons facility, before shipping them to Wichita, Kans., where the company will prepare the modification kits for final delivery and provide engineering support during customer installation.

“Boeing, along with our Air Force customer, is committed to developing cost effective and innovative solutions for the B-52,” said Oathout. “The new IWIU also can be used in future modifications that could double the platform’s smart weapons capacity.”

Boeing will deliver the first kit in October 2008. The Air Force will perform the modifications using contract field teams at the main B-52 operating bases in Barksdale, La., and Minot, N.D. The modifications are expected to be completed by late 2011.